Evacuation alert issued for wildfire burning near Lions Bay, B.C.
A wildfire has prompted an evacuation alert for about 30 properties in a community just north of Vancouver.
The Village of Lions Bay issued the alert at 9 p.m. PT Sunday, for properties on Oceanview and Kelvin Grove roads, upslope from Highway 99.
The Lone Tree Creek fire is burning in the area of Mount Unnecessary and the Erin Moore trails, and Lions Bay Search and Rescue said Sunday it had been tasked to help officials evacuate hikers from the area.
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As of Monday, the fire was listed as out of control but measured at just a fraction of a square kilometre in size.
The B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) is responding to the fire with ground and air crews and support from Metro Vancouver and West Vancouver. It said smoke from the fire may be visible from the Sea-to-Sky Highway.
The fire was sparked by lightning, following a rare and intense thunderstorm that that delivered some 7,000 lightning strikes as it passed through the province.
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The thunderstorm sparked dozens of new fires across southern B.C.
The BCWS says the lightning was paired with precipitation in many areas, helping reduce the number and severity of new fire starts.
However, it warned that "holdover fires" could pop up in places where lightning strikes smoulder in the underbrush before igniting in warmer temperatures.
As of Monday morning, there were 183 active wildfires across B.C., about a third of them classified as out of control.
This article, written by Simon Little, was originally published for CBC News on Aug. 24, 2026.
Thumbnail image of planned ignition operation near the Pear Lake wildfire, close to Clinton, B.C., on July 29, 2026. Credit to the B.C. Wildfire Service.