Entire city of Merritt, B.C., on evacuation alert due to wildfire

The entire City of Merritt has been placed on evacuation alert Sunday night due to a wildfire burning nearby.

The Emergency Operations Centre said Sunday that a fire near the city poses a potential threat to life and structures.

This means more than 7,000 people are on evacuation alert.

3:18 B.C. wildfires: Hope to Merritt Coquihalla closure due to fire risk

Everyone was urged to be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice should the situation escalate.

The issue is the Lytton Creek wildfire, which is an estimated 56,329 hectares in size.

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This fire is the same one that swept through the Village of Lytton in late June, destroying about 95 per cent of the structures in the community.

The July Mountain wildfire forced the closure of the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt Sunday evening.

2:04 Tourists asked to leave B.C. Interior communities as residents prepare for wildfires

It was not known when the highway will reopen but officials said everyone should avoid non-essential travel at this time.

Due to the alert, the city is asking anyone from other areas fleeing wildfires to go to Chilliwack in B.C.’s Fraser Valley, rather than Merritt, at this time.