54 houses evacuated in small B.C. community following a slow-moving landslide

VANCOUVER – Fifty-four houses have been evacuated as a slow-moving landslide pushes into a small community in northeastern British Columbia.

Peace River Regional District’s emergency operations centre director Deborah Jones-Middleton says she does not know for how long the people will be out of their homes in Old Fort, a subdivision of Fort St. John.

She says the authorities were alerted to the landslide on September 30 at 7:13 a.m.

She says one house has been compromised although she doesn’t know the extent of the damage, and roads have also been damaged.

In a statement posted to its website, the district says there is “immediate danger to life safety” in Old Fort.

The statement says access routes will be manned and people will not be able to go back once they leave, and those who choose to stay remain at their own risk.