The evacuation order along the Highway 97 corridor has been downgraded to an alert between Chasm and 70 Mile House.
There have been northerly winds on the Elephant Hill fire for several days, allowing fire fighters to make good progress, with Assistant Fire Information Officer Terry Murphy saying today “it really hasn’t moved in a northerly direction because the winds have been coming from the north.”
Related: Aug. 9: Fire remains in place on northern flank
According to the release, “progress made by the BC Wildfire Service on the northwest flank of the Elephant Hill fire has resulted in the rescinding of the current Evacuation Order for properties along the Highway 97 corridor between Chasm and 70 Mile House. Although the evacuation order has been rescinded, an evacuation alert remains for these properties, and residents are reminded that they need to remain prepared to evacuate immediately if necessary due to changing fire conditions.
The TNRD is not aware of any power outages having taken place in the area.
“Highway 97 will be open through the 70 Mile area southbound to Chasm for local traffic only. Highway 97 remains closed in both directions at Chasm, so traffic will not be permitted from Cache Creek or Clinton through to Chasm as the fire continues to be of threat in those areas. The RCMP will continue to monitor access to this area tonight as residents return. Only those residents whose addresses are listed as having their Evacuation Order rescinded will be permitted through the checkpoints tonight.”
