Mount Baldy residents are no longer under evacuation alert, signaling an end to the worst of the 2021 wildfire season in the West Boundary.
The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) rescinded the last remaining alerts, spanning 157 Mount Baldy addresses, at 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2. The RDKB’s Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has since stood down, according to director Mark Stephens.
READ MORE: RDKB orders evacuation of Area E homes, as Nk’Mip Creek wildfire rages
READ MORE: Mt. Baldy residents who came back home must now stay away
“We are grateful to residents for their understanding, patience and cooperation during what has been a stressful event,” he said.
Sixty-one BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) personnel were meanwhile fighting the Nk’Mip Creek wildfire, according to EOC Information Officer Anitra Winje. The fire prompted a host of evacuation orders and alerts in Rock Creek, Mount Baldy and surrounding areas starting July 20. Then burning at an estimated 2,000 hectares between Oliver and Osoyoos, the fire had swelled to roughly 17,000 ha by Aug. 12, at which point 123 West Boundary properties were still under evacuation orders.
Those orders were downgraded to evacuation alerts on Aug. 23.
The Nk’Mip Creek wildfire was burning at an estimated 19,335 ha when The Times went to press Friday, Sept. 3. The fire is believed to have been caused by a person, according to the BCWS.
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