Due to the growing Plumbob Mountain Wildfire, the regional district of East Kootenay (RDEK) has issued an evacuation alert for the west side of Lake Koocanusa. In a release, the RDEK urged campers and residents to flee the area. The release stated:
Effective August 15 at 9:00 pm, an Evacuation ALERT has been issued for 254 properties on the west side of Lake Koocanusa from the Bailey Bridge south to the US border.
“We are urging residents and campers within the Alert area to prepare and gather personal supplies should conditions worsen, and an evacuation order is issued,” says Information Officer Loree Duczek. “If you have not yet registered for the Evacuation Notification System, we urge you to do so. It will take RCMP and Search and Rescue several hours to deliver notifications throughout an Alert area of this size. By contrast, those who are registered for the Notification System will know immediately when every second counts.” To register for the Evacuation Notification System or RDEK Email updates, visit www.rdek.bc.ca.
“If you have RVs, boats, or other recreational vehicles you wish to move, or if you have livestock or animals that need to be moved, this is the time to move them,” stresses Duczek. “If an Evacuation Order needs to be issued, RVs, boats, and large livestock will not be able to be moved at that time.
Anyone within the Alert area staying at a vacation property, second home, or campground will not be eligible for ESS and will be asked to return to their primary residence if an Order is issued.
“Anyone at a vacation property or campground may wish to return to their primary residence at the Alert stage as evacuations can happen at any time during the day or night,” explains Duczek. “This is a trendy recreational area, and we are urging everyone – including campers – to register for the Evacuation Notification System so they will be aware if conditions change and an Order needs to be issued.”
The fire, estimated at 360 hectares in size, began as a ground fire and quickly spread to the crown fuels due to winds and gusts up to 50 km/hr today. It will be a Fire of Note on the BC Wildfire website www.bcwildfire.ca, and the latest updates will be available there. To view the Evacuation Alert boundary and other emergency preparedness information is available on www.rdek.bc.ca. The Emergency Information numbers are 250-426-2188 or 1-855-346-2188.
