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New Evacuation Alert issued for St. Mary’s River fire
Based on the recommendations of the BC Wildfire Service, the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) has issued an EVACUATION ALERT for 71 dwellings as a result of the St. Mary’s River wildfire.
The Alert extends beyond the boundary of an Alert that was issued late last night for 9 properties in Woods Corner West and includes:
Clearview Road – 8055 Highway 95A
McGinty Road – 3497, 3503, 3509, 3567, 3624, 3639, 3684, 3703, 3706, 3716, 3721, 3734, 3750, 3762
Mission-Wycliffe Road
Pineridge Road
Sommerfeldt Road
“Evacuation Alerts are intended to give residents time to prepare themselves and their properties in the event that conditions worsen. Taking the time at this stage to put together important papers (like insurance papers), medications, valuables, supplies for children and pets, and other important items can make a huge difference if they need to leave on a moment’s notice,” said Regional Emergency Operations Centre Information Officer, Loree Duczek.
Anyone with livestock and large animals should make arrangements to move them at the Alert stage. The RDEK also recommends moving boats and recreational vehicles at the Alert stage as there is not time to move them in the event of an order.
Door-to-door notification in the Alert area is underway at this hour with the assistance of RCMP and Search and Rescue. A copy of the Alert with address points and map are posted on www.rdek.bc.ca.
This Alert brings the total number of dwellings on Evacuation Alert within the RDEK to 108, while 15 dwellings are on Evacuation Order. This is in addition to the 52 homes that are on Evacuation Order and 9 homes on Evacuation Alert in ʔaq̓am.
“We are working closely with the BC Wildfire Service and ʔaq̓am as this is still very much an evolving situation,” added Duczek.
“We are once again urging all residents of the East Kootenay to register for the Regional Evacuation Notification System if they have not already done so. This is a free service that will immediately notify you if your property is the subject of an evacuation alert or order. It can sometimes take several hours to complete a door-to-door notification, and this system can send thousands of notifications out in under a minute. It’s an incredibly helpful tool when every second counts.” To learn more or to register, visit the Emergency Information Page on www.rdek.bc.ca or contact the Information Line for assistance.
The information line number is 250-426-2188 or toll free 1-855-346-2188 and, when not staffed, will have a recorded message with the most updated information.
The BC Wildfire Service has implemented an Area Restriction for an area that extends to the north and west of the Reserve at ʔaq̓am. A copy of the Area Restriction map and detailed fire updates are available on the Wildfire of Note page on www.bcwildfire
RDEK
