Evacuation alert issued for out-of-control wildfire near Hope, B.C.

A fire burning near Hope, B.C., is visible from Highway 1. (BC Wildfire Service/Twitter)

An out-of-control wildfire burning near Hope, B.C., has prompted an evacuation alert.

The Fraser Valley Regional District issued the alert Friday afternoon, citing the "potential danger to life safety and health" posed by the blaze burning in the Flood Falls Trail area.

The affected properties are highlighted in yellow in a map provided by the district.

Residents under evacuation alert should be ready to leave home on short notice, with all essential items such as medications, eyeglasses and valuable papers.

They should also help any neighbours with mobility issues, the FVRD said. A full list of recommended preparations are available on the district's website.

The area under evacuation alert due to the Flood Falls Trail wildfire is seen in a map from the Fraser Valley Regional District. The wildfire was discovered late Thursday night, and was "highly visible" to passing drivers on Highway 1 Friday, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service.

 

The blaze, which is believed to be human-caused, has grown to about 50 hectares, and officials said it is expected to continue growing, fanned by gusty winds.

Crews said they monitored the blaze overnight, but were not able to safely access it until daylight.

"This fire is burning is very steep terrain presenting access challenges for ground crews. Helicopters are focussing on bucketing the north and east flanks," reads an update on the BCWS website.

There are 45 firefighters and five helicopters battling the blaze. 

There were 190 active fires across the province as of Friday morning, with just under a third burning in the province's southeast fire centre.  

Just three wildfires of note remain in the province. Two, the Battleship Mountain and Bearhole Lake fires, are in the Prince George fire centre.

The Battleship Mountain fire, discovered Aug. 30, was measured at just over 13,200 hectares Thursday. The Bearhole Lake fire, discovered the following day, was just over 6,000 hectares.

Meanwhile, the Heather Lake fire in Manning Park remains an out-of-control fire of note. That blaze began south of the border and was measured at about 7,000 hectares Thursday. About 3,000 hectares of that is burning in Canada.