Evacuation order issued as glacier lake bursts in B.C.

The risk of flooding in a small community near Pemberton has prompted an order for residents to flee immediately.

A glacier lake has burst and is sending floodwaters towards a community northeast of Pemberton, B.C.

The melting glacier triggered an evacuation order for two dozen homes last week over the concern the lake would burst. 

The homes are in the Gates Lake and Poole Creek areas, about 150 kilometres north of Vancouver.

The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District says the Place Glacier lake outburst is ongoing and hazardous debris flows are expected in Place Creek and downstream waterways.

“The most substantial flows are expected to occur late in the day on July 1 and the outburst event is expected to take one to two days,” the alert from the district says in a statement. 

The Place Glacier lake has burst in the past, but in 2024 it sent about 1.2 million cubic meters of water and sediment downstream and flooding properties, and the district says flows from the current outburst are expected to be comparable.

“Residents and members of the public are advised to stay away from Place Creek, Poole Creek, and Gates Lake until the outburst has ended and conditions have been assessed,” the advisory from the district says. 

The district’s staff and technical experts are monitoring conditions within the evacuation order area and will watch the impact on homes in the area, it says. 

“The Emergency Operations Centre will use this information to determine whether additional emergency response measures are required.”

Once peak flows have subsided, and when its safe to do so, the district says it will conduct a damage assessment to determine next steps for emergency response and recovery. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2026.