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Regional Wildfire Evening Update: July 24, 2026

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With six new fire starts popping up in the region in addition to the fires they are already responding to, it has been a busy day for BC Wildfire Service crews but they have been having great success on the new starts. 

BC Wildfire crews have extinguished a new fire along St. Mary River and one in the Meachen Creek area, have the Tatley Creek Fire north of Fairmont under control, and are actioning a small new fire in the Tower Creek area and a new start in the Hellroaring Creek area southeast of St. Mary Lake that is estimated at 0.02 hectares in size. 

While there are no significant changes to report on the Matthew Creek or Tower Creek Fires beyond what was shared earlier today, BCWS did post some new maps that I wanted to pass along:

The Evacuation ALERTS remain in effect for the City of Kimberley and the St. Mary Lake Road area and there has been no change in their status.

Since the moment the Evacuation Alerts were issued, the Planning Section in the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has been working in close collaboration with City of Kimberley officials to undertake the monumental task of trying to figure out the logistics of potentially moving thousands of people out of a community safely in the event of an Evacuation Order.

  • To learn more about what goes into evacuation planning, check out today's Operational Video with EOC Director Christina Carbrey: https://youtu.be/sZH6979uIuA

With the potential for thunderstorms and lightning in the forecast again tonight, there is a continued chance for new starts. To report smoke or wildfire:

  • 1-800-663-5555 from any landline
  • *5555 from your cellphone
  • BC Wildfire App

The latest information on the status of wildfires can be found on www.bcwildfire.ca

The next update will be tomorrow afternoon unless there is a significant change to report.