Merritt rescinds evacuation alert

The City of Merritt is no longer under an evacuation alert.

“In consultation with and on the recommendation of the BC Wildfire Service, the City of Merritt is rescinding its Evacuation Alert. Following favourable weather conditions and the work of the BC Wildfire Service, the July Mountain and Lytton Creek fires no longer pose an imminent risk to the safety of Merritt residents,” said Greg Lowis.

“The City of Merritt Emergency Operations Center (EOC) will continue to monitor the situation and should conditions change, an Evacuation Alert/Order could be reinstated or issued as the EOC deems necessary,” continues Lowis.

Both the Lytton and July Moutian wildfires do continue to burn, and residents are asked to remained informed.

“Although the Evacuation Alert has been rescinded, these are still considered wildfires of note and both fires are classified by the BC Wildfire Service as “Out of Control”. We encourage you to remain informed and cautious of wildfire activity surrounding your community,” added Lowis.

As of Saturday afternoon, the Lytton Creek Fire remained at 84,825 hectares.

“No significant growth has been observed on the Lytton Creek Wildfire. Today(Aug. 21), the forecast is for temperatures in the low-mid 20s. Potential wind gusts are expected in the afternoon but with possible showers or thundershowers,” reads the file.

July Mountain is estimated at 19,666 hectares today.

“This wildfire is being managed by an Incident Management Team based in Merritt, and is part of the Cascades Complex which also includes the Garrison Lake Wildfire (K62088). Resources, including firefighters, helicopters, and heavy equipment will be shared between the two wildfires to meet operational objectives as needed,” reads the file.