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The entire city of Kimberley is on evacuation alert as an out-of-control wildfire burns west of the East Kootenay community.
The alert applies to all properties within Kimberley’s municipal boundaries, affecting approximately 9,000 people. Residents are not being told to leave areas but are being asked to prepare in case conditions worsen.
The Matthew Creek wildfire was discovered on Saturday and was estimated to be 5.67 square kilometers (567 hectares) in size as of Sunday evening.
The BC Forest Fire Service says the fire started at high altitude in steep, mountainous terrain that is not safe for crews to directly access.
It says strong winds, steep slopes and a spruce-balsam forest contributed to the rapid growth. The fire started as a very large and fast-moving fire on Saturday, but crews say the fire’s behavior had subsided by Sunday.
Officials warned that the fire could become more visible from surrounding communities during the hottest and driest time of the day.
Heavy equipment and three helicopters were mobilized to fight the forest fire.
The map shows the evacuation alert covering all properties in Kimberley due to the Matthew Creek bushfire. (City of Kimberley)
Properties near Lake St. Mary’s are also on alert.
The East Kootenay Regional District issued a separate evacuation alert for 66 properties in the Lake St. Mary’s area extending west of Kimberley due to two separate fires burning southwest of the Matthew Creek Fire.
One of the fires is estimated to be approximately 2.50 square kilometers (250 hectares) in size, while the other is less than 0.5 square kilometers in size. Both were discovered Friday and are believed to have been caused by lightning.
The regional district encourages residents of both alert zones to monitor official information, register with the evacuation alert system and prepare necessary items in case they are ordered to leave the area.
The map shows an evacuation alert covering 66 properties in the Lake St. Mary’s area due to the Tower Creek wildfires. (East Kootenay Regional District)
The fires are among about a half-dozen fires burning in the Southeast Fire Center area following a sharp increase in lightning in B.C.
On Friday alone, wildfire officials recorded more than 4,000 lightning strikes across the province, including more than 1,300 in the southeast region.
A yellow air quality alert from Environment Canada is also in effect for the southern portion of the East Kootenay, including Cranbrook, due to smoke from wildfires.