The 2 Mile Road wildfire, near Sicamous, July 20, 2021.
Image Credit: FACEBOOK/Annette Erickson Lebus
July 21, 2021 - 10:06 AM
A wildfire that caused the evacuation of Sicamous residents yesterday has grown to 130 hectares overnight and continues to burn out of control.
Roughy 1,000 residents were ordered to evacuate yesterday, July 20, and thousands more remain on evacuation alert due to the 2 Mile Road wildfire, burning two kilometres south of the district.
"There's been a bit of growth overnight from our 60 hectares," B.C. Wildfire Service fire information officer Taylor MacDonald said today, July 21.
The evacuation order was issued by the Columbia Shuswap Regional District for residences within the District of Sicamous that lie to the 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.
An alert is in place for District of Sicamous south of the Trans-Canada Highway, up to the eastern and western boundaries of the District of Sicamous. For more information on evacuation alerts, visit the regional district’s website here.
According to the B.C. Wildfire Service’s latest update, 33 personnel are responding with 10 pieces of heavy equipment assisting the Sicamous Fire Department and the Swansea Fire Department.
"They're continuing to build guard around the fire today," MacDonald said.
Crews were worried about the fire heading north yesterday, so that is likely to be a priority today.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Highway 97A is currently closed from five km north of Enderby all the way to Sicamous and a detour is in effect via Highway 97B, according to DriveBC.
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