Residents near Gun Lake, B.C., ordered to evacuate immediately due to growing wildfire north of Whistler - Action News
Home WebMail Sunday, November 10, 2024, 09:08 PM | Calgary | 0.4°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
British Columbia

Residents near Gun Lake, B.C., ordered to evacuate immediately due to growing wildfire north of Whistler

Regional officials say the situation surrounding a wildfire north of Whistler, B.C., is "critical" and have told residents late Tuesday they must evacuate immediately.

Squamish-Lillooet Regional District says order in place for areas surrounding Gun Lake and Lajoie Lake

Flames rise from a forested hilltop next to a picturesque lake.
The Downton Lake fire led to evacuation orders for properties around Gun Lake in the Sea-to-Sky region of B.C. on Tuesday. (Submitted by Dr. Renata Lewis)

Regional officials say a wildfire north of Whistler, B.C., is "critical" and havetoldresidents they must evacuate immediately.

TheSquamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) says an evacuation ordercovers all properties around the Downton Lake fire in the Bridge River Valley north of Pemberton, which includes Gun Lake and Lajoie Lake near Gold Bridge, B.C about 80 kilometers north of Whistler.

The blaze has more than doubled in size since Mondaywhen flames raced eastward on the steep northern hillsides above Gun Lake and its more than 200 cabins.

The blaze is located 300 kilometres north of Vancouver, with Gun Lake being a popular recreational area in the summertime.

The fire has grown to 15.6square kilometres in size as of Tuesday night a significant growth over previous estimates according to the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS).

The SLRD says the RCMP and other agencies will be expediting the evacuation order, calling the situation "critical" in a tweet and telling residents to immediately evacuate from their homesand avoid the fire burning on the west side of Gun Lake.

An area around Gun Lake in B.C. is highlighted in red to indicate an evacuation order, with a larger area in yellow to the north and east indicating an evacuation alert.
The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District says all properties in the Gun Lake and Lajoie Lake areas are on evacuation order due to the Downton Creek fire, with more properties in the surrounding area on evacuation alert. (Squamish-Lillooet Regional District)

An evacuation alert which means residents should be prepared to leave at a moment's notice has been issued for areas further north and east of Gun Lake, including Tyaughton Lake in Electoral Area A.

Evacuees are being told to leave via Gold Bridge, to the east of Gun Lake, and onward towards either Lillooet or Whistler, B.C.

The BCWS says thefire has been burning since July 13 and is suspected to have been sparked by lightning. It says recent growth on the fire was observed on its north and east flanks, closest to Gun Lake.

Emergency Info B.C. said in a tweet that failing to leave could endanger residents or first responders battling the blaze.

WATCH | Fire near Gun Lake burns on hillside:

Wildfire north of Whistler, B.C. leads to evacuation orders

1 year ago
Duration 0:14
The B.C. Wildfire Service says the Downton Lake wildfire was sparked by lightning in mid-July.

"Accommodation in the area is limited. Make arrangements to stay with family and friends, if possible," the evacuation order said.

If emergency support services are required, evacuees are told to go to the Lillooet District Rec Centre or the Delta Hotel in Whistler.

The wildfire service said in a statement that the safety of the public would be their top priority, and they would continue to work closely with the regional district, B.C. Hydro and the Gun Lake Fire Brigade.


John Rose, 81,who has a house on the east side of Gun Lake, says 10 or 15 homes are likely destroyed in the blaze. He says he is staying putas he does not think the sparks from the fire on the west side of Gun Lake will reach his property.

"Most of the people have left the lake," he told CBC News on Tuesday evening.

Rose says his property is the oldest on Gun Lake, and has been around since 1945.

"I built this house when I retired. I want to save it," he said. "I'm not being a hero or anything, if I wasn't here to keep my sprinkler system going, I don't know if anyone else could."

Peter Kimber, who owns the Gold Bridge Hotel Cafe and Bar, told CBC News that 55 firefighters and support staff were staying at his hotel as they battled the blaze. He says the flames had reached the shores of Gun Lake.

"In Gold Bridge, where I am right now, you can't see the flames very well because there's another small hill in front," he said on Tuesday night. "But when you go around that hill, you see definite huge flames.

"We were able to see the entire mountainside starting to burn and work its way down, unfortunately."

It is unclear how many people are currently in the Gun Lake area, but Kimber says there are dozens of people who reside there during the summer.

Plumes of smoke and licks of flame are seen on a hillside next to a picturesque lake.
The Downton Lake wildfire spread east towards Gun Lake, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service causing the district to issue an order for an immediate evacuation on Tuesday. (Submitted by Owen Rose)

With files from The Canadian Press