Wildfire forces tactical evacuation in Christina Lake, B.C.

An evacuation order was issued in Christina Lake, B.C., due to a wildfire on Sept. 29, 2024.

Tactical evacuations were underway in Christina Lake, B.C., Sunday afternoon due to an out-of-control wildfire, according to officials.

An emergency alert was issued at 3:45 p.m. for all properties on Brown Road, Kensington Place, and Caitlin Road.

“The Spaulding Creek wildfire poses a threat to human life,” the alert said.

The Kootenay-Boundary Reginal District said tactical evacuations – where police and other first responders go door-to-door to inform and assist residents – were underway.

Residents were directed to the Christina Lake Community Hall, where emergency services volunteers arrived later Sunday afternoon.

Initially, 42 homes were evacuated and 208 more are on evacuation alert, according to the regional district. Around 6 p.m., the evacuation orders for Caitlin Road and Kensington Place were downgraded to alerts.

Highway 3 has been closed in both directions at East Lake Drive bridge as a result of the blaze.

The BC Wildfire Service said the fire sparked Sunday and provincial crews are assisting the local fire department with support on the ground and from the air.

“We are working with local government partners to protect public safety,” the service said in a social media post.

Christina Lake is located about 21 kilometres east of Grand Forks, B.C., where another tactical evacuation took place days earlier due to the spread of the Goosmus wildfire from Washington state.

The evacuation order and alert there have both been lifted after fire crews brought the Goosmus blaze under control.

The wildfire service said in its last update on Sept. 26 that seasonal fall weather in recent weeks had "decreased wildfire risk," resulting in open fire bans being lifted from some regions.

The service says there are about 185 active wildfires burning in B.C., with only around 19 of them — or roughly 10 per cent of the total — classified as out of control.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Kaija Jussinoja and The Canadian Press