Kamloops This Week
Sun Peaks Resort will be back open to visitors this weekend and some evacuation orders and alerts have been downgraded in the area near the Embleton Mountain wildfire.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has downgraded an evacuation order for the Whitecroft area to an evacuation alert for 139 properties on the attached map.
An evacuation order may need to be reissued if wildfire behaviour deems it necessary.
An evacuation alert for 148 properties near Heffley Lake has been rescinded to an all clear status as the threat of wildfire in the area no longer poses an imminent risk to the safety of residents.
The Evacuation Alerts for North on Heffley Louis Creek Road (3820 to 4361 Heffley-Louis Creek Rd; ) and South on Upper Louis Creek Road (6100, 6180 and 6289 Upper Louis Creek Rd;) remain in place.
The fire remains classified as out of control and, as of July 23, is estimated at 920 hectares, with crews focusing on extinguishing hotspots and working toward dousing the entire perimeter 50 feet inwards, then 100 feet inwards. The blaze was discovered on July 9 and its cause is under investigation.
Meanwhile, Sun Peaks will be fully operational on Saturday, July 24. Lift-accessed biking, hiking and sightseeing, along with other activities, restaurants and accommodations will be open, while the golf course will also resume regular hours.
“We reduced our mountain operations temporarily and shifted our focus to prepare for different scenarios,” says Aidan Kelly, chief marketing officer of Sun Peaks Resort.
“While there was limited imminent danger to Sun Peaks itself, we took a cautious approach. We’re now excited to have things up and running again.”
