On Monday evening, an evacuation order and a state of emergency has been issued by the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) due to immediate danger to life and safety due to a campground and recreational areas of the Thomas Creek wildfire in Electoral Area D.
BC Wildfire Service will be expediting notifications and enforcement of the order to eight rural properties including the Allendale Lake campground and Crown land which is off the troubled 201 Road.
The State of the Local Emergency commences immediately on July 26, 2021 to remain in force for seven days until Aug. 2, 2021 at midnight unless revoked by order of the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen or the Minister responsible.
BC Wildfire incident commander Mike McCully said he was expecting to issue new evacuations during a briefing on Monday.
“The sections of 201 Road are very unsafe and are growing and moving down the ridge to the Kettle Valley drainage area,” said McCully. “We are looking at alerts and orders to change to protect life and property.”
The fire is currently listed at over 7,200 ha but BC Wildfire expects it to much bigger than that once mapping can be done.
McCully commended fire crews who saved a cabin on the 18 km mark of the 201 Road. That road is a main access road for firefighters but is where most of the fire activity is located.
The 705 properties on evacuation alert since the fire started June 11 remain on alert, he said.
The evacuation order issued at 6 p.m. July 26 is in effect has been issued for parcels with the following legal descriptions:
District Lot 285S, Similkameen Div of Yale Land District
Plan KAP1193, Sublot 3, District Lot 3639, Similkameen Div of Yale Land District, AFB
Plan KAP1193, Sublot 4, District Lot 3639, Similkameen Div of Yale Land District, AFB
Plan KAP1193, Sublot 6, District Lot 3639, Similkameen Div of Yale Land District
Plan KAP1193, Sublot 7, District Lot 3639, Similkameen Div of Yale Land District, AFB – FOREST RESERVE 23-8-60
Plan KAP1193, Sublot 16, District Lot 3639, Similkameen Div of Yale Land District
Plan KAP1193, Sublot 19, District Lot 3639, Similkameen Div of Yale Land District
District Lot 3639, Similkameen Div of Yale Land District, Portion SE OF SUBLOT 19
