Residents have been ordered to evacuate because of a wildfire burning north of Whistler that’s putting properties near Gun Lake in danger.
The Downton Lake wildfire may have already destroyed some homes on the southwest side of Gun Lake, and the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District will be conducting damage assessments as soon as it’s safe to do so.
It urged property owners in the area to contact the regional district directly.
The wildfire is estimated to be just under 20 square kilometres in size, and it grew rapidly overnight as strong winds pushed it up nearby slops to burn up large numbers of dry trees.
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“There are over 50 personnel responding to the wildfire, including an Incident Management Team, ground personnel, and structure protection personnel. Helicopters will continue responding throughout the day, as well as heavy equipment constructing guard in priority containment areas,” the regional district said in an email to Daily Hive.
The fire was caused by lightning and is burning about 10 kilometres west of Gold Bridge. Residents of Gun Lake and Lajoie Lake have been ordered to leave the area immediately by heading toward Gold Bridge and then to either Lillooet or Whistler. Several other areas nearby are under evacuation alert.