FIRE PUTS KIMBERLEY ON ALERT
The nearby B.C. resort community, which relies on Alberta for 65 per cent of its tourism, has been placed on an evacuation alert
The city of Kimberley, B.C., remains on evacuation alert as almost 600 fires burn across the province, prompting the declaration of a state of emergency earlier this week.
Fifty of the fires are considered highly visible or potentially dangerous to people or property, and B.C. Wildfire Service said about 436,000 hectares of forest have been consumed so far.
Kimberley — which has been on alert since Thursday night — is a popular vacation destination for many Albertans, with the community ’s mayor estimating that at least 65 per cent of the city’s tourism comes from Alberta.
“With respect to Calgarians or anybody from Alberta that typically comes out here on the weekend, they can still do that,” said Mayor Don McCormick. “It’s either smoky in Calgary, or smoky in Kimberley. The evacuation alert should not affect anybody coming out to spend the weekend or their time here.”
McCormick said despite the dark and smoky skies, most businesses are still open and the city has an emergency plan in place, pending any changes.
According to Kimberley Tourism, the city is still booking visitors and there have been few cancellations, but one campground on the city’s edge is facing a huge drop in numbers.
Leanna Winter, manager at Kimberley Riverside Campground, said as of Friday afternoon, only 37 campsites were booked, down from the 139 sites booked on Thursday night. The campground — which Winter said is always filled with Alberta tourists — is at the edge of the city, bordering the St. Mary Valley, which is on evacuation order.
“We will continue to operate until we are told otherwise by the RCMP,” she said. “All of our guests are fully aware of the situation and they’re prepared and ready at a moment’s notice if they need to go.”
The alert in Kimberley was prompted by high winds as a 56-square-kilometre wildfire pushed north toward the city, while 65 properties in St. Mary Valley — about 10 kilometres southwest of Kimberley — were ordered to evacuate on Thursday night.
“(The wildfire near Kimberley) does look like it’s settled down a little bit over night, which isn’t unexpected given that temperatures do tend to go down,” said B.C. Wildfire Service chief fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek. “But it’s still very much a threat there, and given that a lack of rain is in the immediate future, that’s going to be an ongoing concern.”
Skrepnek said a fire burning close to Creston, B.C., has caused a travel advisory to be in effect for a section of Highway 3, which could impact vacationers.
Fires in southeastern B.C. continue to encroach on Alberta, causing most of the smoke that has blanketed Calgary over the past few days.