The City of Kimberley remains under evacuation alert and residents shouldn’t expect it to be lifted any time soon, says Mayor Don McCormick, despite clearer skies and cooler weather.
In a Facebook post the Mayor explained that he has been talking to people around town that seem to have the impression the alert will be lifted shortly.
“These are just rumours. As I write this message, we hope for but do not expect a dramatic change either way - and for the alert to continue until after the long weekend and into next week.
“Please appreciate that we have been one strong sustained wind away from evacuating the City. The fire is still out of control and the City is tinder-dry. The weather this week has made the Incident Management folks nervous. It has been unpredictable, particularly the winds. Yesterday for example, sustained winds were in the 18km/hr range with gusts to 50 kms/hr. Forecast rain has mostly not happened. In addition to the fire itself spreading towards us, one hot ember blowing from this fire could ignite within City limits. So we continue to watch things very closely.
“We have daily briefings with the Incident Management Team and will not be lifting the alert until they recommend we do so. Aside from the on-going risk, we are also concerned that if the alert is lifted prematurely, the residents that Interior Health has evacuated may need to be relocated again if we were to go back on alert or heaven forbid an evacuation order.
“The fire has been mostly contained for several days. However, there have been ‘excursions’ beyond the containment lines that the crews have managed to keep in check. One such excursion a few days ago caused another 40+ hectares to burn at a Rank 4 level (Rank 6 is the highest rating). This was clearly troubling for the Incident Commander and evidence that we are not out of danger as of yet.
“Our Incident Commander was one of the IC’s in Fort McMurray. He and his team have seen first-hand many times how quickly things can change. We are very hopeful that things continue to improve and remain on top of every move this fire makes. Everyone’s understanding and continued patience is greatly appreciated. Our Emergency Operations team at the City trusts the judgement of the Incident Management Team completely.”
The alert has impacted tourism, he says, and he urges locals to support Kimberley businesses.
“When the alert was issued two weeks ago a huge number of visitors left town. And visitors who planned to come here are now hesitant to do so under an evacuation alert - despite clear skies and sunshine. This has put tremendous pressure on our business community. As we wait for the alert to be removed – and the sun is shining – think of our businesses. Their doors are open – please take time to support them.”