Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

EOC ACTIVATED

Kamloops residents ready to dash as several neighbourhoods remain under wildfire Evacuation Alert

Aug 6, 2021 | 4:35 PM

KAMLOOPS — Significant growth of the White Rock Lake wildfire Thursday triggered evacuation orders on properties in the TNRD just outside of Kamloops city limits. Within the city, homes in Dallas, Barnhartvale and Campbell Creek were all put on evacuation alert.

A strong breeze revealed blue sky in Barnhartvale Friday afternoon. However, that wind also has residents keeping a close eye on the White Rock Lake as it continues to grow.

“It’s nice that it’s shifted direction, but I am worried for Pritchard and Chase residents now,” Nicole Demarchi, Barnhartvale resident, says.

On Thursday, the fire saw significant growth. It burned properties in Monte Lake and moved towards the Kamloops city limits. That triggered the City to reopen its Emergency Operations Centre and put some eastern neighbourhoods on Evacuation Alert.

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“I had downloaded that Voyent [app], and was looking at it. I didn’t think it was functional, then all of a sudden, it’s 10:25 and this alarm went off,” Trudy Forsberg explains. “By then we knew things weren’t good in Monte Lake.”

“The City reactivated the Emergency Operations Centre last night when we got the word from [BC Wildfire Service] that the White Rock Lake fire was moving closer,” Deputy Mayor Kathy Sinclair tells CFJC Today. “We’re also closely watching the Tremont Creek fire over on the west side, now that Tobiano is on evacuation alert, as well.”

According to Deputy Mayor Kathy Sinclair, having the active EOC means the city is prepared to throw everything it has at it, should the fire make a run towards the community.

“Whatever we can do as a city firefighting crew to support the BC Wildfire Service, to make sure the fires aren’t coming into the city, we’re throwing everything we have on it,” Sinclair says. “We have the resources. It really is all hands on deck right now.”

After the July 1st Juniper Interface fire, residents in Barnhartvale say they’ve made sure to be prepared should the worst happen.

“We’ve actually started throwing stuff in the car in case someone told us we had to go in the middle of the night,” Trudy Forsberg says.

“We’ve got the motorhome full with as much stuff as we can take, too,” Doug Flach says.

“We’ve been prepared, we took pictures of our house,” Nicole Demarchi says. “We’ve got everything basically in boxes, ready to put in the car. Get the animals out and just get safe.”