More evacuation alerts issued for south shore of Shuswap Lake

Sorrento, an area on the south shore of Shuswap Lake, is now under an evacuation alert due to the extreme behaviour of the Lower East Adams Lake and Bush Creek East wildfires.

The Shuswap Emergency Program says residents should prepare to leave on short notice.

While most of the fire remains above Little Shuswap and Shuswap Lake, according to B.C. Wildfire Fire information Officer Forrest Tower, the fire’s movement south remains between Chase and Sorrento, south of Highway 1.

“It’s so smokey, our ops guys are having trouble seeing exactly where it is, but that’s a rough estimate of how far south it has grown,” Tower says.

There are currently 3,700 properties under evacuation order along the shore of Shuswap Lake Saturday due to the Adams Complex wildfires. Existing orders cover Lee Creek, Magna Bay, Scotch Creek, Celista, and Little River between Squilax Bridge and Sorrento.

⛔️ REMINDER – #BCHwy1 CLOSED between #Sorrento and #ChaseBC due to wildfire. Alternate route available via #BCHwy97 and #BCHwy97A
ℹ️ For more info: https://t.co/dEQtjKthS2

— DriveBC (@DriveBC) August 19, 2023

Highway 1 remains closed between Sorrento and Chase. The Upper Arrow Lake Ferry continues to run 24 hours until further notice to aid residents and tourists have a way to access western BC. Drivers heading west from the Alberta-BC border on the TransCanada can head south from Revelstoke to access the ferry, which will take them into the Kootenays. Travellers can also take Highway 97 into Vernon.

While lighter winds and cooler temperatures are expected in the forecast, Tower says these conditions will do little to help reduce the blaze anytime soon.

“Even if it’s not windy or hot, it still is a very dry and receptive fuel,” Forrest said. “So, unfortunately, it’s going to be a number of days of very challenging conditions on this fire still.”

The Lower East Adams Lake fire is the largest blaze in the Adams Complex wildfires, estimated at 10,004 hectares in size and believed to have been caused by lightning back on July 12.

There are currently 378 wildfires burning in B.C., 140 of which are out of control.

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-With files from Raynaldo Suarez