The Okanagan Indian Band has confirmed that 10 dwellings and one building have been destroyed by the White Rock Lake wildfire, with another four dwellings sustaining damage.
Global News talked an evacuee from Okanagan Indian Band land on Tuesday.
Kimberly Miller, a resident who lives just off of Westside Road on OKIB land, said she was able to watch her property through cameras on her home.
“On Sunday night, somehow the power came on for five minutes and the cameras came back on.”
“We could see fire, we could see hoses going up and down, we could here the pumps going and we could see the sprinklers going, then all of a sudden the power went out again,” said Miller.
“As of 10:30 last night, we did find out our sprinklers were still going.”
Miller eluded that she did not lose her home, but claims many of her neighbours did.
“They lost a lot, our community has lost a lot,” said Miller.
“We have to figure out where do we start. OKIB has assured us they will be working on their end to put us on that journey now.
“For our home to come through after what happened on Sunday — its mind-boggling. I’m still in shock, everything around us is gone.
“Incredible what the firefighters did on Sunday night.”
The confirmation came through a Facebook post on the OKIB Facebook account.
“The last 48 hours have been very hectic,” wrote Okanagan Indian Band staff, in the post.
“As of yesterday, August 16th, there were ten dwellings and one business lost with an additional four dwellings damaged.”
The band said due to the hard work and quick action from the B.C. Wildfire Service and structural protection specialists, no other structures were lost.
Backburns were taking place along Westside Road to help secure guard lines on Monday, according to OKIB.
“Over the last 24 hours the North Okanagan received 10mm of rain which was much needed,” wrote OKIB staff, in a Facebook post.
“The rain has offered a reprieve for B.C. Wildfire Service crews to make progress against the fire.”
Evacuation orders remain the same for Okanagan Indian Band land.
“On the recovery front, OKIB has already begun to work on a recovery plan for our community. There will be more information coming from the EOC regarding the re-entry process for areas which have been impacted by the wildfire,” the post continued.
“We are also in discussion with EMBC regarding setting up the ability for an OKIB Wildfire donation service.”
The White Rock Lake wildfire that’s burning in the North Okanagan is now listed at an estimated 78,190 hectares, up from the 62,000 hectares reported on Monday.
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