Castlegar Search and Rescue and RCMP went door to door on the southern shore of Lower Arrow Lake Wednesday night telling people to leave due to the imminent threat from the Bulldog Mountain wildfire.
The BC Wildfire Service said the order affected nine addresses south of Renata to Shields Point are affected.
“People affected by the evacuation order can text RENATA to 778-400-1771 to be added to a Dedicated Emergency Text List,” a release from the Regional District of Central Kootenay said. “The RDCK EOC will use this list to send specific instructions to those who have signed up.”
The Bulldog Mountain wildfire was sparked by lightning on Aug. 11.
It is currently 605 hectares in size with 22 firefighters and seven pieces of heavy equipment on site.
“The machine guard is complete on the north flank of this fire,” the BC Wildfire Service said in a release at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. “Hand ignition operations have been completed on the north flank to reinforce this guard. Crews continue to work the southwest flank of this fire. ”
Structural Protection Units (SPU) are operational, according to the service, and fire departments are working on setting up SPU’s on homes that are threatened.
The area has been on evacuation alert since Aug. 14.
Across the Lower Arrow Lake from the area is the Deer Creek Wildfire, where an evacuation order was carried out on Tuesday.
The order affects those north from Renata Ferry Road on Broadwater Road and Deer Creek Forest Service Road.
Those evacuees were advised to go to the reception centre at the Sandman Hotel at 1944 Columbia Avenue in Castlegar.
The Deer Creek wildfire is estimated to be 591 hectares and is burning about three kilometres east of Arrow Lake and about eight kilometres northwest of Deer Park.
The lightning-caused fire that started on Aug. 11 is said to be burning back into itself.
Also across the lake from the Bulldog Mountain fire is the 649-hectare Syringa Creek wildfire, which has put all of Syringa Provincial Park and southeast along Lower Arrow Lake to the Hugh Keenleyside Dam in Robson on evacuation alert.
Syringa Provincial Park remains open to the public.
“This fire is burning in steep and remote terrain making it unsafe for crews to access at this time,” the BC Wildfire Service said of the Syringa Creek fire. “It is being closely monitored. Air resources will be used as visibility allowed.”
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