District of Clearwater is now under an evacuation alert.
Mayor John Harwood signed the order on Saturday afternoon.
The alert covers the entire District of Clearwater, with the exception of the Canfor mill-site and Yellowhead Mines property in Vavenby.
An evacuation alert means everyone within the designated area should get ready to leave.
An evacuation order, which means it’s time to leave, has not yet been issued for Clearwater.
However, depending on the circumstances, an evacuation order may be issued at any time.
Reason for the alert is a wildfire that started near Little Fort on July 7 and that is now getting close to Clearwater.
An evacuation alert has been issued to prepare you to evacuate your premises and property should it be found necessary. Residents will be given as much advance warning as possible prior to the evacuation; however you may receive limited notice due to changing conditions. What you should do when an evacuation alert is in place:
1. Locate all family members and be prepared to evacuate your residence and property to an identified safe reception center.
2. Gather essential items such as medications, eyeglasses, valuable papers (insurance), photographs and immediate care needs for dependants.
3. Prepare to move any disabled persons and children.
4. Collect pets and pet needs.
5. If possible, move livestock to a safe area.
McCarthy Lake area evacuated
Thompson-Nicola Regional District gave an evacuation order for the McCarthy Lake area north of Hallamore Lake on Saturday afternoon.
The Hallamore Lake and Dunn Lake areas were ordered evacuated earlier.
As a municipality, District of Clearwater issues evacuation alerts and orders within its boundaries. Outside its boundaries, in areas such as East Blackpool and Blackpool, it is the TNRD that issues alerts and orders.
As of late Saturday afternoon, no evacuation alerts for East Blackpool (other than the McCarthy Lake area) or Blackpool had been issued.
