A heavily armed man who allegedly shot at police in the small B.C. Kootenay community of Slocan and then fled into the woods Thursday is still at large, police say.

RCMP have identified the suspect as Peter de Groot, 45, and say he is known to police. The community of about 300 people is still in lockdown, as police continue their hunt.

Peter de Groot, 45, seen here in this RCMP handout photo, is being sought by police for allegedly firing his rifle at a police officer Thursday. (RCMP handout)

Police said he is considered to be armed and dangerous and are asking the public not to approach him if seen, but to call 911.

In a release issued Friday morning, RCMP Southeast Chief Supt. Frank Smart urged local residents to avoid the cordoned-off area and remain indoors.

"I thank the residents of Slocan for their patience and co-operation during this tense situation. Your safety is our primary concern," said Smart.

Smart said that over the last 12 hours police have searched de Groot's home and seized a number of firearms.

He added that extra resources have been brought into the small village to assist the manhunt, including air support, the Southeast District Emergency Response Team, a crisis negotiator, police dogs and a tactical armoured vehicle.

Meanwhile, Jeff Jones, a school district superintendent, told CBC News that W.E. Graham and Winlaw schools will both remain closed.

Homes, schools, daycare evacuated

Police locked down homes around the village, and evacuated schools and daycare facilities Thursday afternoon.

RCMP set up roadblocks and began a search for a suspect, who allegedly shot at officers in the area of Gravel Pit Road and West Slocan Road, on Thursday just after noon. (CBC)

A least 40 officers were brought in from a number of B.C. detachments and homes were evacuated in what police are calling "an area of containment" west of the village of Slocan, at the south end of Slocan Lake.

Ed Nielsen, principal of the W.E. Graham school, told CBC News some 20 children, aged between four and seven years old, had been in an outdoor classroom across the river from the shooting.

"[The teacher] radioed in that they'd heard gunshots and then we lost communication with them," said Nielsen, who was in the main school building at the time.

He and an educational assistant eventually managed to move the children from the classroom into the main building, which was put in lockdown by the RCMP.

Ed Nielsen tried to evacuate children from W.E. Graham school 0:54

A local school and daycare were initially locked down, but later, people were told to leave. All the children were taken from the local elementary school to the fire hall on buses, where parents showed ID to pick them up.

Slocan is about 145 km east of Kelowna by air. (Google Maps)

Police officers were co-ordinating traffic to allow people to pick up their children and get home from work.

The police manhunt continued through the night as an RCMP cruiser with its lights flashing ensured that nobody was allowed into the town.

A number of police using infrared goggles and wearing flak jackets combed through the thick brush and trees surrounded by low-lying mountains.

The search was made more difficult by patches of fog limiting visibility in certain areas.

Triggered by dispute

Police say the incident began just after noon when RCMP officers with the Slocan/New Denver detachment were called about a dispute between two people.

While the officers were on scene on Slocan West Road near Gravel Pit Road, a man allegedly shot at them with a long rifle.

No one was injured, but the man fled into the surrounding forest. It was believed he was equipped with multiple firearms, according to police.

Southeast RCMP first tweeted the alert out on behalf of the Slocan detachment just after 3:30 p.m., only saying at the time that there was a serious police incident.

Police were asking anyone with knowledge about the location of the suspect to call 911, but not to otherwise broadcast the information.

"As this is an unfolding event with an alleged armed suspect, we are asking that the movements and locations of responding officers not be divulged through social media. To do so may jeopardize police and public safety," said RCMP Const. Kris Clark on Thursday.

Witnesses in Slocan City told CBC News they saw several police cruisers racing into the town, which is about an hour north of Nelson, B.C.

Bob Strong was in Slocan at the time police began evacuating it.

"I was out on the street when an RCMP officer came up to me and said, 'We're both targets right now, get off the street,'" he told CBC News.