Now that the Bear Creek wildfire has been contained, a popular provincial campground on Okanagan Lake has reopened.
More than 100 campers fled Bear Creek Park Monday night because of the fire.
“I woke up at about midnight with the smell of smoke,” said camper Steve Lingenfelter. “I thought it was just somebody’s campfire that hadn’t gone out properly. About ten minutes later, I heard park staff come through and say there was a forest fire and we had to evacuate.”
Most of the campers were only given about 10 minutes to pack a few personal belongings, forcing them to leave tents and trailers behind.
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“We packed as much as we could and left,” said camper Wipa Wee. “When we went out, it seemed like almost everybody had left.”
“It came down to the road and it did cross and at one point, go into the grass area,” said Rob Shears with the Bear Creek Provincial Park. “Thankfully it didn’t cross the fence.”
The evacuees spent the next couple of nights in local motels.
The park reopened Wednesday night, and when campers returned, they were delighted to find that the park and their personal belongings were virtually unscathed.
“Everything’s fine. Nothing’s been damaged. A little bit of soot and ash. Other than that we’re glad to be back,” said Lingenfelter.
A number of campers told CHBC News that they have no intention of letting the fire or the evacuation ruin their vacation and many have moved back into their old campsites.
Their new neighbours include 40 forestry firefighters who have set up their tents in the park.
The firefighters are working to put out hotspots in the fire.
They hope to have that job completed in another day or two.
Bear Creek Provincial Park will remain open through the Thanksgiving weekend.
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