Part of Kamloops under evacuation orders and alerts due to wildfire

Part of the City of Kamloops has been put on evacuation alerts and orders due to the threat of the Ross More Lake fire burning 13 kilometres south of the city.

The fire began Friday afternoon and has already grown to 1,800 hectares and is out of control.

Smoke from this wildfire is highly visible to the City of Kamloops, surrounding communities, Highway 5, and Highway 5A.

According to the BC Wildfire Service, the fire was burning at a rank 4 on Saturday, prompting a heavy equipment task force to be activated for this incident.

This wildfire is listed as a Fire of Note on the BC Wildfire Service website, meaning it’s highly visible or poses a potential threat to public safety.

A total of 327 properties in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District Electoral Area “J” (Copper Desert Country) and Electoral Area “L” (Grasslands) are on evacuation alert as well as one property in the Electoral Area “O” (Lower North Thompson).

“We encourage the public to be prepared and be aware there are lots of resources available to communities and the public to gather information about new and existing wildfires in the area they reside,” said Melanie Bibeau, Kamloops Fire Centre Information Officer.

An evacuation order is now in effect for approximately 344 addressed properties in the following areas of Electoral Area “J” (Copper Desert Country) and Electoral Area “L” (Grasslands).