The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) has cancelled the state of local emergency for the Carlson Point area on Sechelt Inlet and lifted the evacuation order issued by the SCRD on July 6.
Effective noon on Sunday, July 12, an evacuation alert was reinstated for residents and visitors within the area, who can return to their homes but should be prepared to evacuate on 10 minutes notice, the SCRD said in a release.
Access to Carlson Point is by water only, as the Halfmoon Carlson forest service road remains closed due to the high volume of danger trees and to ensure the safety of fire crews battling the Old Sechelt Mine fire.
“Should residents be required to leave, detailed evacuation instructions will be provided directly to them by local emergency personnel. In the meantime, residents should be prepared with an emergency supply kit with necessary medications, personal toiletries, change of clothing and personal and family documents,” the release said.
The evacuation alert affects eight residents from 21 properties along the water.
The change in status for Carlson Point came after the BC Wildfire Service reported that the Old Sechelt Mine fire, estimated at 400 hectares in size after a series of controlled burns, was 75 per cent contained.
Crews were mopping up on the northern section of the fire and were continuing wet lines around the southern half, BC Wildfire Service said in a Sunday afternoon update. Road cleanup and danger tree assessment and removal are also ongoing.
A total of 125 personnel are working on the fire, including 88 firefighters, one helicopter, eight pieces of heavy equipment and an incident management team.
On Saturday, the BC Ministry of Environment cancelled the wildfire smoke advisory for the Sunshine Coast.
Mainly cloudy skies with scattered showers are forecast over the fire area, with light winds overnight.
The fire is located about two kilometres northwest of Sechelt and is burning about 1.8 kilometres above the west shore of Sechelt Inlet.
For more information, see www.scrd.ca
