Entire City of Kimberley Placed Under Evacuation Alert as Nearby Wildfire Grows
Liam O'Connell
7/20/20262 min read
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 and affects roughly 9,000 people.
Residents are not being ordered to leave at this time, but they are being told to prepare in case conditions worsen.
Matthew Creek Wildfire Burning in Steep Terrain
The Matthew Creek wildfire was discovered Saturday and was estimated at 5.67 square kilometres, or 567 hectares, as of Sunday evening.
The B.C. Wildfire Service says the fire started at high elevation in steep, mountainous terrain that is unsafe for crews to access directly.
Strong winds, steep slopes and spruce-balsam forest helped the fire grow quickly.
Officials said the blaze was burning as a highly vigorous and fast-moving fire on Saturday, though fire behaviour had eased by Sunday.
Fire May Become More Visible
Wildfire officials warned the fire could become more visible from nearby communities during the hottest and driest part of the day.
Heavy equipment has been mobilized to support the response.
Three helicopters are also responding to the wildfire.
St. Mary Lake Properties 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.
That alert was issued because of two separate fires burning southwest of the Matthew Creek blaze.
One of those fires is estimated at about 2.50 square kilometres, or 250 hectares.
The second is less than 0.5 square kilometres.
Both fires were discovered Friday and are believed to have been caused by lightning.
Residents Urged to Prepare
The regional district is urging people in 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 after a sharp increase in lightning across B.C.
The wildfire service recorded more than 4,000 lightning strikes across the province on 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.
News
Stay updated with the latest BC news stories, subscribe to our newsletter today.
SUBSCRIBE
© 2026 Innovatory Labs Inc. All rights reserved.
LINKS