LIKELY, B.C. — A failed beaver dam is being blamed by municipal officials for a debris slide that damaged one home and cut off 14 others in British Columbia's central Interior.
Cariboo Regional District Chairman Al Richmond says crews also hope to reopen single-lane traffic to several properties about 20 kilometres northeast of Likely by Friday evening or Saturday morning.
He says earlier estimates suggested that work could take as long as four days.
Richmond says the slide occurred on Thursday, when 3,000 cubic metres of material came down near Keithley Creek, close to Cariboo Lake.
He says a geotechnical expert flew over the area Thursday evening and evidence confirms that the failed beaver dam led to a loss of water from the lake.
Everyone in the home got out safely and Richmond says video shows the house is still standing and there is quite a bit of debris outside the structure but there's no way to tell how badly it is damaged.
He says the 14 affected properties are completely isolated and the regional district is putting together a plan to ensure trapped residents are safe and can get adequate supplies.
It's expected to be at least four days before the only road to several rural properties in the central Interior community of Likely can be reopened to single lane traffic after a significant slide.
Fourteen properties have been cut off and one home may be damaged after a beaver dam, or some other structure, collapsed late Thursday afternoon.
