Portion of Evacuation Order downgraded to an Evacuation Alert for the Ponderosa wildfire
By Regional District of Central Kootenay
On the recommendation of the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS), the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has downgraded the Evacuation Order for 65 properties and 15 Parcel Identifiers (PIDs) in Electoral Area H to an Evacuation Alert due to the Ponderosa wildfire, part of the Slocan Lake Complex. The area includes properties south of Lemon Creek and east of Slocan River, plus three properties accessed from Avis Rd. on the west side of Slocan River. See a map of the Evacuation Alert area below
The Village of Slocan and properties within Electoral Area H north of Lemon Creek will remain on Evacuation Order due to the Slocan Lake Complex wildfire. See attachment for revised Evacuation Alert.
The Slocan Lake Complex includes the Aylwin Creek wildfire, Komonko Creek wildfire, Mulvey Creek wildfire, Nemo Creek wildfire, and Ponderosa wildfire. A complex is created when multiple wildfires are managed by a single Incident Management Team, and resources and equipment are shared between all incidents in the complex.
Residents that have been downgraded to an Evacuation Alert are advised there may be unseen dangers when returning to their homes and properties. The RDCK advises all residents to read through the information provided by Interior Health on how wildfires can affect your health and safety, by clicking here. Highway 6 remains closed for approximately 35 km, 1 km south of Silverton to 11 km south of Slocan.
The Ponderosa wildfire was first discovered on July 18. It is approximately 1,001 ha and the suspected cause is a lightning strike.
Updates or changes to the Evacuation Alert or Order will be provided via the RDCK website, Facebook, and X as more information becomes available. For details about evacuation and emergency preparedness, along with other resources, please visit www.rdck.ca/eocinfo. The RDCK EOC public inquiry line is 250.352.7701 or 1.866.522.7701 (toll free).
For up to date information on current wildfire activity, conditions and prohibitions, call 1.888.336.7378 or visit www.bcwildfire.ca.
For more information about evacuations and emergency preparedness, along with other resources:
- Current RDCK Evacuation Alerts, Orders and Rescinds or call 250.352.7701
- Sign up for RDCK Emergency Notification System to receive notifications
- RDCK web map
- Public weather alerts for BC from Environment Canada
- BC Wildfire – Interactive Map of Current Events
- Fortis BC Outage Map or call 1.866.436.7847
- BC Hydro outage map or call 1.800.224.9376
- Nelson Hydro 1.877.324.9376
- Drive BC for highway closures and road conditions
- For BC Air Quality Health Index
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