An evacuation centre has been set up in Kelowna for evacuees from the destructive wildfire that destroyed most of Lytton, B.C.
“All of us, of course, have been shocked to see the images of people fleeing the wildfires now raging in Lytton, the Fraser Canyon and beyond,” Premier John Horgan said on Thursday.
“And, of course, our primary concern is to always protect lives, to ensure we’re doing everything we can, to evacuate safely, and to fight the fires at the same time.”
The evacuation centre in Kelowna is located at the Salvation Army Church at 1480 Sutherland Ave., and is being run by Emergency Support Services (ESS) of the Central Okanagan regional district.
Horgan said other communities are also lending helping hands, including Merritt, Boston Bar, Chilliwack and Kamloops.
“There’s nothing more Canadian, in my mind, than offering help and assistance when our neighbours need it,” said Horgan, adding he spoke with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who pledged help for Lytton.
“Our thoughts are those with those who have been evacuated. I know how deeply disconcerting and disorienting it can be, to be taken from your homes at a moment’s notice, as was the case in Lytton.”
Horgan noted this is the third time in five years “of horrific fires” during his tenure as premier, adding B.C. and the federal government are learning together how to adapt to what is a climate-change environment.
He said, “we are going to see increasing high temperatures for long periods of time, increasingly intense fire seasons.”
Currently, ESS says donations are not being encouraged, as evacuees have nowhere to store them.
For more about ESS, visit their webpage.
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