City of Penticton lifts evacuation order for homes threatened by precarious rock

PENTICTON, B.C. – The City of Penticton, B.C., says it’s lifting an evacuation order for 25 homes in a mobile home park that were threatened by a potential rock slide.

The city says a retaining wall has been built to protect the threatened properties, and residents of the homes can return now that the evacuation order has been lifted.

Kristen Dixon, director of Penticton’s Emergency Operations Centre, says the wall provides a “buffer” as crews work to secure the rock, which was discovered earlier this week with a large crack, leading to fears it would break off and damage nearby homes.

The city says crews are set to begin stabilizing the rock, but the work could take several weeks to finish.

Dixon says people should avoid the area near the Pleasant Valley Mobile Home Park where crews are working, since the embankment is still unstable.

The properties were first evacuated on Tuesday as geotechnical assessors inspected the rock, and soon after prompted a local statement of emergency.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 23, 2023.