Residents in a small community located northeast of Pemberton, B.C., have been instructed to evacuate immediately due to the imminent threat of flooding from a nearby glacial lake. The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District issued the evacuation order for approximately 24 properties in the Poole Creek and Gates Lake area of Birken, situated roughly 30 kilometers northeast of Pemberton.
The regional district announced that the RCMP would facilitate the evacuation process. The situation arose as Place Glacier has been melting into an adjacent lake, with the regional district stipulating that an evacuation order would be activated once the lake’s depth reached 30 meters. Monitoring of lake levels has been ongoing through sensors and cameras installed at the glacier site.
These properties had been on evacuation alert since June 7, coinciding with the lake depth hitting 24 meters, the same level it was at during a previous outburst incident last year. The lake previously experienced outbursts in 2024, with an estimated 100,000 cubic meters of water and debris cascading down the mountain and diverting towards Gates Lake and Poole Creek. These outbursts occurred on June 19, 2025, and July 21, 2024.
The ongoing melting of Place Glacier into the adjoining lake will persist until the glacier retreats further. For additional updates, residents are advised to refer to the regional district’s official communication channels.