The Cariboo Regional District issued an evacuation alert Friday, July 2, for the Canim Lake area, including the Canim Lake Band, due to fires in the area.
The alert, issued at just before 10 p.m., does not mean residents are required to leave at this time but they should prepare to evacuate their premises or property if necessary. The CRD said residents will be given as much advance notice as possible prior to evacuation but “you may receive limited notice due to changing conditions.”
Margo Wagner, CRD director who represents Forest Grove-Canim Lake, said the alert applies to the Canim lake Band, Canim lake estates (Summit, Rainbow Drive, Kokanee, Rainbow Crescent), Rainbow Road, Newall Road and Canim lake South Road for the following addresses: from 7245 to 7519 South Canim. It also applies to 4263 – 4449 address numbers on Canim Hendrix Lake Road.
“Please prepare your ‘to go’ bags, load your vehicle and be ready to leave if this alert is updated to an order,” Wagner said in a newsletter to residents.
The move follows evacuation orders in Deka Lake and Judson Road as well an evacuation alert for Sulphurous Lake. Firefighters are battling close to 40 fires in the South Cariboo area, including the 200-hectare “fire of note” southwest of Deka Lake, which prompted the evacuation of 700-plus people.
Firefighters are dealing with several wildfires in the Canim Lake area, including fires at Judy, Roger, Succour and Ruth lakes and a few above South Canim Lake, Wilcox and Houseman roads. A new fire behind the Canim Lake store was also reported Friday night, while two fires near Howard Lake prompted the CRD to close the Howard Lake campground Friday until further notice.
Wagner noted the fire at Roger Lake that has gone to Succour lake “is now burning at the lake but with lots of smoke.” BC Wildfire Service is flying over the lakes to monitor them tonight, she added.
Residents in the Canim Lake area are urged to have a plan in place to transport all family members or co-workers outside of the area, in the event of an evacuation. They should also keep essential items readily available for a quick departure; including medications, eyeglasses, valuable papers (i.e. insurance), immediate care needs for dependents and, if you choose, keepsakes (photographs, etc). Pets and livestock should also be moved to a safe area and make accommodation options if possible.
Those who are on evacuation alert, or who have been displaced from their home due to an emergency, should self-register for Emergency Support Services. Self-Registration will reduce wait times for evacuees and assist in the referral process. https://ess.gov.bc.ca
Further information will be issued as it becomes available. Please visit the CRD Emergency Operations Facebook as well as the CRD website at cariboord.ca/EOC. For more information contact the CRD’s emergency information line at 1-866-759-4977 (8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. daily).
Residents are encourage to register for the Cariboo Chilcotin Emergency Notification System to receive a text, call or email regarding Evacuation Alerts and Orders.
More to come.
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