Wildfire prompts evacuation alert in metro Vancouver

A wildfire prompted an evacuation alert on Wednesday about 30 kilometers (18.64 miles) from Vancouver, one of Canada's largest metropolitan areas, as blazes in Western Canada continued to spread due to dry and hot weather.



About 35 properties in the village of Anmore were asked to be prepared to evacuate on Wednesday, packing essentials such as government IDs and medications. "We’re a small team, but we will be doing our best to keep our residents updated," Anmore's acting mayor Doug Richardson told residents.



The fire in the Belcarra Park region, located near Sugar Mountain Trail is estimated at about 1.5 hectares, and is now nearly contained, Metro Vancouver said.



"At this time, the fire is not expected to spread beyond the current containment lines. Crews will remain on site throughout the day to extinguish hotspots and ensure the fire is fully secured," Metro Vancouver said.