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Some evacuation orders lifted in West Kelowna and Lake Country, no timeline yet for Shuswap residents
If the power or data on your device is low, you can get wildfire updates on CBC Lite, our low-bandwidth, text-only website.
The latest on the wildfires:
- Some evacuation orders were lifted in West Kelowna and Lake Country on Wednesday.
- Officials say there is no timeline in place yet for when 11,000 people in the Shuswap area can return home, following the devastating Bush Creek East wildfire.
- 181 properties have been confirmed destroyed or damaged in the Kelowna area, with more assessments set to take place Thursday.
- An online portal has been set up for evacuees in the Kelowna area to assess if their property has been damaged.
- Even as rain helped firefighters in some communities, the area around Lytton — where two wildfires have triggered evacuation orders — remains dry.
- Learn more about how to find the full list of wildfires, highway closures and evacuation orders and alerts.
Officials throughout the B.C. Interior are pleading for patience from thousands of people displaced by wildfires, as some evacuees begin to head home.
The latest count shows 25,000 people have been told to leave their homes due to blazes across B.C.
On Wednesday night, 309 properties were taken off evacuation order in the West Kelowna area, along with a number of other areas in the District of Lake Country earlier in the evening, as firefighters made good progress tackling fires like the McDougall Creek blaze.
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Emergency management minister says evacuation orders must be respected
Bowinn Ma told the public Wednesday that people who choose to defy evacuation orders in wildfire zones are making a dangerous situation even more dangerous.
However, officials also confirmed that 181 properties were damaged or razed by blazes in the Kelowna area. Assessments to determine the full scale of the destruction are set to continue Thursday.
West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund says rescinding evacuation orders is not a simple process, and officials have to consider numerous factors, including whether roads can handle an influx of returning cars.
"We want to avoid having to evacuate you a second time if this incident escalates," he said at a Wednesday news conference. "It's been proven that people are likely not to evacuate, in some cases, if they have to evacuate again."
Officials from the Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO) said Wednesday evening that residents will be able to check the status of their homes by entering their address into a new portal.
The RDCO said anyone placed on evacuation order will be able to see via the portal whether their property was damaged. It requested that members of the general public refrain from using it.
"Some of the most challenging days are ahead. People and communities will learn of monumental loss. This will be a process of grief collectively," said RDCO chair Loyal Wooldridge in a statement.
"As we move into recovery, the needs of each impacted community will be different."
No timeline for Shuswap evacuees
Though more than 11,000 people remain on evacuation order in the Shuswap — some of whom are refusing to leave their communities — officials aren't yet giving a timeline for when those orders could be lifted.
"We understand the need for people to want to get back, to want to try to regain some sense of normalcy," said Tracy Hughes, public information officer for the Shuswap Emergency Program.
"However, we just can't afford to put people back in situations that aren't completely vetted and safe."
West Kelowna woman sees home is safe from wildfires through the lens of a CBC News video camera
A CBC News crew gave West Kelowna's Susan Priest a peek through the telephoto lens of a news camera, allowing her to see her home safe and sound for the first time after a wildfire devastated the area. A previous version of this video displayed an image of a house that was not owned by Susan Priest.
B.C. Wildfire Service information officer Forrest Tower says the Bush Creek East fire, which forced the Shuswap evacuations, remains the province's top priority wildfire, and up to 150 more firefighters were scheduled to arrive Wednesday and Thursday to help contain the blaze.
Heavy rain helps temper fires
Firefighters in the southern Interior were aided by ample rainfall that fell Wednesday over both the Okanagan and Shuswap.
Tower says one weather station near the eastern edge of the Bush Creek East wildfire near Chase received about 20 millimetres of rain in the last day.
Up to 15 millimetres of rainfall was recorded on the wildfire's western edge, he added, leading to a widespread diminishing of fire behaviour.
Environment Canada had issued a severe thunderstorm watch late Tuesday for the Shuswap region — one of the hardest-hit fire zones — with Salmon Arm recording 12 millimetres of rain on that day, the biggest single-day total all year.
Firefighters fighting the McDougall Creek wildfire near Kelowna reported similar trends of heavy rain helping crews control the flames.
While rain helped firefighters in the Okanagan and Shuswap Wednesday, it did not reach the Fraser Canyon — where multiple wildfires remain burning around the village of Lytton and reserves of the Lytton First Nation.
Firefighters were set to conduct a planned ignition near the Kookipi Creek blaze south of the village on Wednesday, to remove unburned fuel between the fire and nearby communities.
However, the B.C. Wildfire Service says unfavourable winds stalled the operation, with conditions set to be re-evaluated Thursday.
READ MORE:
- An "incredibly rare" fire tornado was caught on video in the Pemberton area.
- A large pig miraculously survived after a ranch was levelled by a wildfire in West Kelowna.
- The 73-year-old Okanagan Anglican Camp was destroyed in a blaze.
- A young person has been arrested after more than $10,000 of firefighting equipment was stolen.
- Popkum, B.C.'s fire chief became a Canadian citizen while on the frontlines of a wildfire.
- Wildfires left many migrant workers in dangerous conditions across B.C., according to advocates.
B.C. winery owners talk about how climate change is affecting their operations
Wildfires are just the latest extreme weather event to hit winemakers in the province. Amid a downturn in tourism, they're asking the public to support them in the fall after the smoke dissipates.
Anyone placed under an evacuation order should leave the area immediately.
Evacuation centres have been set up throughout the province to assist anyone evacuating from a community under threat from a wildfire.
To find the centre closest to you, visit the EmergencyInfoBC website.
Evacuees are encouraged to register with Emergency Support Services online, whether or not they access services at an evacuation centre.
Do you have a story to share?
If you've been affected by the B.C. wildfires and want to share your story, email cbcnewsvancouver@cbc.ca.
With files from Randi-Marie Adams and The Canadian Press
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Credit belongs to : www.cbc.ca
