Evacuation order lifted after landslide in Old Fort, B.C., temporary road opens

FORT ST. JOHN — Residents of Old Fort, B.C., are finally able to return home after a landslide last month blocked access to the only road in and out of the community.

The Peace River Regional District cancelled its previous evacuation order on Thursday, allowing residents and service providers to return to the area.

The 400-metre wide landslide on Old Fort Road, about five kilometres south of Fort St. John in northeastern B.C. resulted in evacuation orders or alerts for multiple properties in the community of roughly 150 people.

The district says construction is complete on a temporary two-lane road, though public access is limited to one lane until at least Monday.

The province’s emergency information system says an evacuation alert remains in place for east of, but not including, 7711 Old Fort Road, as a precaution until the completion of a permanent road.

Old Fort has been the site of previous landslide threats over the last decade, including a slide in 2018 that led to another evacuation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2026.