Evacuation alert issued as wildfire near Harrison Lake grows

The Bear Creek fire outside Harrison Hot Springs remains out of control, and an evacuation alert has been issued.

An evacuation alert has been issued due to an out-of-control wildfire near Harrison Lake, according to officials.

The Bear Creek fire sparked on Tuesday and had grown to an estimated 90 hectares by Thursday afternoon, the B.C. Wildfire Service said in an online update Thursday.

The Fraser Valley Regional District issued an alert for the Cascade Peninsula Recreation site, which has 25 campsites and a day-use area. Roughly 50 cabins in the North Cascade Bay area are also on alert due to the “potential danger to life and safety,” according to the notification from the district.

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Anyone who is not already in the area is being urged to avoid it, and those who are already there ate being advised to prepare to flee at a moment’s notice.

“You are not required to evacuate at this time, but you must be prepared to evacuate on short notice. Failure to do so may result in you or your family not having the supplies you require, such as medications,” the alert said.

Roads have also been closed in the area ahead of the long weekend in order to “keep people out of the area for responder and public safety,” according to the BCWS.

Two ground crews of 22 firefighters each have been assigned to fight the fire on the ground while five helicopters and a “skimmer group” are responding to the blaze from above and collecting water from Harrison Lake.

“We urge the public to use common sense and keep their boats well away from areas where air tankers or helicopters operate. Public in the area will compromise responder safety and response efforts,” the BCWS website said.

The fire is suspected to be human caused, according to the agency.

‘Open for business’

The mayor of Harrison Hot Springs noted the fire comes ahead of the B.C. Day long weekend, which is a typically busy time for the tourist town.

“We’re a resort municipality and obviously the lake is a big draw and the big season for tourism is the summer. So, the August long weekend is a big one for a lot of businesses in town,” said Fred Talen.

Erinn Kredba, with Tourism Harrison River Valley, said the town and much of the surrounding area is not impacted, and would-be visitors don’t need to change their plans.

“We’re definitely getting a lot of questions into our visitor center wanting to just clarify what areas are safe to come to. The Village of Harrison Hot Springs and the rest of the Harrison River Valley is very much open for business,” she said.

Karen Henry, who owns the village’s Karen’s Café, said the same thing.

“We’re open. Yeah, for sure. Everybody’s open,” she told CTV News, also noting the importance of out-of-towners to the local economy.

“When you have a business out here, most of the time we rely on the tourists.”

The Bear Creek fire is one of several significant blazes to break out in recent days, as the southern part of the province sees elevated temperatures and increased lightning activity.

“With hot, dry conditions, fuels are extremely susceptible to ignition. Fires can start and spread easily and rapidly, especially if gusty winds occur,” the BC Wildfire Service’s provincial situation report said Thursday.

As people venture out for the long weekend, whether travelling or staying closer to home, the agency urges everyone to do their part to prevent human-caused wildfires by abiding by fire bans and restrictions.

With files from CTVNews Vancouver’s St. John Alexander