Kimberley, B.C., city of about 9,000, placed under evacuation alert as nearby out

Kimberley, B.C., city of about 9,000, placed under evacuation alert as nearby out-of-control wildfire grows

Alert covers all properties within city limits; 66 more properties southwest of Kimberley also under an alert

The entire City of Kimberley has been placed under an evacuation alert as an out-of-control wildfire burns west of the East Kootenay community.

The alert covers all properties within Kimberley’s municipal boundaries, affecting roughly 9,000 people. Residents are not being ordered to leave but are being told to prepare in case conditions worsen.

The Matthew Creek wildfire was discovered Saturday and is estimated to be 5.67 square kilometres (567 hectares) as of Sunday evening.

The B.C. Wildfire Service says the fire began at high elevation in steep, mountainous terrain that is unsafe for crews to access directly.

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It says strong winds, steep slopes and spruce-balsam forest helped drive rapid growth. The blaze was burning as a highly vigorous and fast-moving fire Saturday but crews say fire behaviour had eased by Sunday.

Officials warned the fire could become more visible from surrounding communities during the hottest and driest part of the day.

Heavy equipment has been mobilized with three helicopters responding to the wildfire.

Properties near St. Mary Lake also under alert

The Regional District of East Kootenay has issued a separate evacuation alert for 66 properties in the St. Mary Lake area, stretching west from Kimberley, because of two separate fires burning southwest of the Matthew Creek blaze.

One of the fires is estimated at approximately 2.50 square kilometres (250 hectares) and the other is less than 0.5 square kilometres. Both were discovered Friday and are believed to have been caused by lightning.

The regional district is urging people within both alert areas to monitor official information, register for its evacuation notification system and prepare essential belongings in case they are ordered to leave.

The fires are among roughly half a dozen burning in the Southeast Fire Centre region following a sharp increase in lightning across B.C.

The wildfire service recorded more than 4,000 lightning strikes across the province Friday alone, including more than 1,300 in the southeast region.

A yellow-level air-quality warning from Environment Canada is also in effect for the southern East Kootenay, including Cranbrook, because of wildfire smoke.