The wildfire situation is becoming fraught in the Kimberley area.
Three hours after an evacation order was issued for the St. Mary Valley, an evacuation alert was issued for the nearby community of Kimberley.
“The City of Kimberley has issued an evacuation ALERT for all properties within the municipal boundaries effective 11:00PM (MST),” read the alert from the City.
“The purpose of an alert is to give people the time to prepare and that is the intent tonight,” explains EOC Director Terry Balan. “With an evacuation order issued earlier tonight for rural residents in the St. Mary Valley, the BC Wildfire Service has recommended implementing an alert for the City of Kimberley to give residents the opportunity to prepare now should conditions worsen and we be asked to leave on a moment’s notice.”
The evacuation ALERT area includes:
• The entire city of Kimberley municipal boundary, and properties in the RDEK directly south and southeast of the city of Kimberley municipal boundary.
“We need to stress that at this time, this is only an alert,” adds Balan.
If people have personal items, recreational vehicles, boats or other items they want to move, the alert stage is the time to move them. If an order is issued, it means you must leave the area immediately.
The RDEK has posted a basic checklist of things to consider having ready as part of your personal preparedness. A link is available on the RDEK”s website – on the Emergency Information page.
An Information Line remains set up at 250-426-2188 or toll free 1-855-346-2188 and information is available on the RDEK’s website at: www.rdek.bc.ca.
For the latest status of wildfires, visit http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/wildfire-status
