It will take up to two weeks before West Kelowna residents on an evacuation order for the McDougall Creek wildfire can return home, officials said Sunday night.
The fire destroyed nearly 190 properties as it burned its way through the Central Okanagan. It also caused extensive infrastructure damage, and officials said evacuation orders won’t be downgraded until electricity, gas and water treatment are restored. The anticipated timeline for that work is between one a two weeks.
The Emergency Operations Centre also said by Thursday, officials expect that all of those who experienced a loss of their homes or whose homes are uninhabitable because of the McDougall Creek wildfire should be informed and it will take up to two weeks before remaining evacuation orders are lifted.
The 126-square-kilometre McDougall Creek wildfire continues to burn out of control in the hills above the community, and while fire crews dig in for a battle they expect to continue for weeks, the Emergency Operations Centre is continuing the work that will allow residents to begin planning for their return home once the evacuation order is lifted.
“Not knowing the status of their home is very stressful for evacuees,” said Corie Griffiths, Emergency Operations Centre director.
“We hope getting this information will make things just a little bit easier, even though they can’t return home yet,” Griffiths said.
In a video posted by BC Wildfire Service on Sunday, incident commander Scott Rennick said fire crews have made big strides over the last several weeks, as the fire has now changed from burning in the urban interface areas of West Kelowna to a wildland fire that now burns away from the community.
“The challenging aspect that we’re having with this fire now is the southwest corner on the west side of it which is above the Powers Creek drainage,” Rennick said.
“We have the combination of extreme slopes, cliff edge — very challenging areas to work for crews but also very limited for heavy equipment operations.”
Residents can stay up to date through the CORD emergency site and subscribe to e-updates. For more information, contact 250-469-8490 or 1-877-569-8490.