'Cracking' at site of historic landslide in B.C. triggers evacuation order
The Peace River Regional District has issued an evacuation order for some residents in the small community of Old Fort, B.C., near Fort St. John, after "cracking" appeared along Old Fort Road.
The evacuation order, issued at 7 p.m. local time, is in effect for all properties east of 7711 Old Fort Road.
Officials say that search-and-rescue crews would help facilitate a "controlled evacuation window" around 9 p.m. local time, and residents should get essential items before then.
An emergency reception centre has been opened at the Pomeroy Sports Centre in Fort St. John, according to the regional district.
Earlier, the district's emergency operations centre had said it has received reports of ground movement within the Old Fort landslide area, where slides happened in 2018 and 2020.
The Ministry of Transportation told CBC News in an emailed statement that "cracking" has been observed at the site of the historic slides.
(The Weather Network)
The ministry closed the road around midnight on Sunday and staff monitored it overnight.
"The ministry understands the impact on people with this road closure. However, for safety reasons, the ministry will need to undertake a full evaluation before a timeline for reopening can be determined," a spokesperson wrote in a statement.
The Peace River Regional District says ground movement has been reported near a previous landslide site near Fort St. John. The province has now closed Old Fort Road. (Submitted to CBC)
DriveBC, which called the event a "landslide," is asking people to avoid the area. Earlier, a shelter-in-place order was issued for residents of the area.
A spokesperson for Dawson Road Maintenance told CBC News crew has been on site since Sunday night "watching a widening crack in the hill."
Landslides have twice damaged the roadway, which is the only road out of the community of Old Fort, located five kilometres south of Fort St. John, according to the province.
In 2021, the B.C. Ministry of Transportation reviewed long-term options for alternative routes into Old Fort and determined the best option would be to continue to use the existing route.
"Each of the proposed alternative routes failed to demonstrate a superior alignment and it was determined that the best option is to pursue improvements to the existing route," said a provincial news release in December 2021.
This article was originally published for CBC News. Contains files from Lauren Vanderdeen and Matt Preprost.