Residents of a small community northeast of Pemberton, B.C., have been instructed to evacuate immediately due to the looming threat of flooding from a nearby glacial lake. The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District issued the evacuation order on Thursday for approximately twenty-four properties in the Poole Creek and Gates Lake area of Birken, situated about 30 kilometers northeast of Pemberton.
Authorities mentioned that the RCMP would oversee the evacuation process. Place Glacier has been steadily melting into a neighboring lake, and the regional district stated that an evacuation order would be issued once the lake’s depth reached 30 meters. Monitoring of lake levels has been ongoing through sensors and cameras installed at the glacier.
These properties had been under evacuation alert since June 7, when the lake depth matched the 24 meters recorded during a previous outburst event. In both 2024 and 2025, the area experienced outbursts, with an estimated 100,000 cubic meters of water and debris flowing down the mountain towards Gates Lake and Poole Creek.
The outbursts occurred on June 19, 2025, and July 21, 2024, respectively. It is anticipated that Place Glacier will continue to melt into the adjacent lake until the glacier retreats. For additional updates, residents are advised to refer to the regional district’s website.