Five homes evacuated as massive boulder rolls into Fraser Valley community

AGASSIZ, B.C. – Five homes have been evacuated in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley over concerns about the stability of a giant boulder that slid down into a residential community last month.

The District of Kent says in a news release that 22,000-kilogram rock came from a bluff above the homes in the community of Agassiz on Nov. 5.

Officials say crews have been working with a geotechnical engineer to access the site, but bad weather has impeded the process.

The district’s mayor, John Van Laerhoven, ordered an emergency evacuation Sunday for eight properties, which includes five homes in the area, saying life safety is paramount.

He says in a statement that the evacuation order is a precautionary step to help address a potentially serious situation due to freezing weather at higher elevations.

The district says it is working with Emergency Management B.C. to complete a geotechnical assessment on the rock bluffs as soon as possible.