Eastgate residents near Manning Park ordered to evacuate as Garrison Lake wildfire jumps Hwy. 3

A photo of the Garrison Lakes wildfire, on the north flank at 4:00 a.m. on Aug. 13, 2021. (BC Wildfire Service)

Vancouver -

Residents were ordered to evacuate their homes on Saturday evening as windy weather fuelled the Garrison Lakes wildfire near Princeton, B.C. and Manning Park.

The fire, labelled as “out of control” by the BC Wildfire Service, was first discovered on July 23, and as of Sunday was 120 square kilometres large.

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen told nearly 70 properties in the small town of Eastgate, north of Manning Park, to evacuate.

On Sunday, the fire jumped the highway, due to windy weather.

“Due to winds and aggressive fire behaviour, the fire has crossed Highway 3,” reads a statement from the BC Wildfire Service.

Inflow winds from the southwest and west were forecasted for this weekend.

A travel advisory has been put in place for Highway 3 in both directions between Manning Park Resort and Princeton.

Fifteen firefighters, two helicopters and other heavy equipment are on scene attending to the Garrison Lakes wildfire, along with more than a dozen incident management and structural protection personnel.