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UPDATE: 1,000 residents of Sicamous being evacuated due to wildfire

CSRD issued the order after wildfire near Sicamous grew to 60 hectares
Jen Zielinski, Zachary Roman, Michael Rodriguez

UPDATE: 9:30 p.m.

A 60-hectare fire burning out of control two kilometres south of Sicamous has been deemed a wildfire of note by the B.C. Wildfire Service.

The blaze, now being called the 2 Mile Road wildfire, has force around 1,000 residents out of their homes and prompted Interior Health to proactively evacuate Eagle Valley Manor, a seniors home.

READ MORE: Sicamous care home proactively evacuated due to 2 Mile Road wildfire

The Columbia Shuswap Regional District has issued an evacuation order for all residences within the District of Sicamous that are south of Sherlock Road, southeast of Cook Avenue, Gillis Avenue, Larch Avenue, east of the Sicamous Narrows and Mara Lake, and north of Sicamous Creek.

The B.C. Wildfire Service is assisting the Sicamous Fire Department and the Swansea Fire Department with 16 personnel and five helicopters.

Highway 97A is currently closed south of Sicamous between the Highway 97B junction and Sicamous Creek Frontage Road.

UPDATE: 5:45 p.m.

Evacuation of about 1,000 residents is underway in the District of Sicamous due to the 60 hectare Wiseman Creek wildfire.

A reception centre for evacuees has been set up at the Sicamous Seniors Centre at 1091 Shuswap Avenue.

BC Wildfire is actively and aggressively fighting the fire. The Shuswap Emergency Program and Columbia Shuswap Regional District Fire Departments are helping with firefighting and structural protection.

UPDATE: 3:20 p.m.

An evacuation order has been issued for Sicamous and area properties as a wildfire in Two Mile continues to spread.

The Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) issued the order at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday, July 20. It applies to all residences within the District of Sicamous, south of Sherlock Road, southeast of Cook Avenue, Gillis Avenue, Larch Avenue, east of the Sicamous Narrows and Mara Lake and north of Sicamous Creek.

According to the regional district, there is limited commercial lodging available at this time. If your property is your primary residence and you cannot stay with family or friends, the CSRD asks you report to the reception centre at the Sicamous and District Seniors Centre, located at 1091 Shuswap Avenue, Sicamous, to register.

Residents can assist the registration process by self-registering with Emergency Support Services online through this link: https://ess.gov.bc.ca/ You can also search this on Google using the term BC Evacuation Registration and Assistance. When registering, please indicate your community as Sicamous.

If you need assistance with transportation from the area call 250-833-3350.

Close and lock all windows and doors. Shut off gas and electrical appliances, other than refrigerators and freezers.

Gather your family. Take pets in pet kennels or on a leash.

Take critical items (medicine, purse, wallet, keys and grab-and-go bag) only if they are immediately available.

Do not use more vehicles than needed. If time permits, check with neighbours and assist those with special needs.

Regularly monitor the CSRD website, www.csrd.bc.ca, the Shuswap Emergency Program’s (SEP) webpage at www.shuswapemergency.ca, the Shuswap Emergency on Facebook and Twitter, the CSRD’s Facebook, Twitter platforms or local news sources for up-to-date and accurate information.

UPDATE: 2:30 p.m.

The wildfire burning near Two Mile Creek is now estimated to be 60 hectares in size, according to a Fire Information Officer from the Kamloops Fire Centre.

The fire, which is being called the Wise Man Creek fire, is out of control and is suspected to be human-caused.

BC Wildfire has 18 personnel on the ground and multiple helicopters in the air fighting the fire.

Air tankers were in the area but were diverted to larger fires.

UPDATE: 1:50 p.m.

An evacuation alert has been issued for Sicamous.

The alert was issued by the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) due to the wildfire burning near Two Mile Creek.

Due to the potential danger to life, health or property, the alert is in effect for the following areas:

The District of Sicamous south of the Trans-Canada Highway, up to the eastern and western boundaries of the District of Sicamous.

The fire is suspected to be human-caused and is still estimated to be 10 hectares in size

UPDATE: 12:26 p.m.

The BC Wildfire Service is assisting the Sicamous and Swansea Point fire departments in responding to a wildfire burning two kilometres southeast of the District of Sicamous.

This fire is estimated to be 10 hectares in size and is classified as out of control.

BC Wildfire is responding with six ground personnel and multiple helicopters.

Aircraft will be using nearby water sources for suppression activities and the public is asked to remain clear of the area.

UPDATE: 11:55 a.m.

The Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) reports a tactical evacuation is underway of homes nearest to the fire.

The landfill has also been closed until further notice. Assessments are ongoing.

UPDATE: 11:50 a.m.

A cube van has crashed into a ditch on Highway 97A hitting a power pole.

Drivers are being asked to stay away from Highway 97A between Two Mile and Swansea point.

Cube van in ditch on Highway 97A.
Cube van in ditch on Highway 97A.

_________

A wildfire has sparked above Highway 97A near Mara Lake.

The blaze started just before 11 a.m., Tuesday, and is located near the Sicamous Landfill at Two Mile Road, south of the district.

Traffic on Highway 97A is blocked in both directions, however, DriveBC is reporting a vehicle incident south of Sicamous to be the cause of the closure.

Smoke can be seen rising above the area and local fire departments are on scene.

Power is also out to thousands of BC Hydro customers, Tuesday morning. Although the cause of the outage is not known, customers are in the dark from the north end of Highway 97A near Mara Lake to the south end towards Sicamous.

More to come.

READ MORE: Evacuations ordered for homes on east side of Mabel Lake

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