The wildfire battle in British Columbia continues today, focusing on the central Okanagan where flames tore through West Kelowna suburbs and forced the evacuation of neighbouring Kelowna's University of B.C. campus. The McDougall Creek wildfire burns on the mountainside above lakefront homes in West Kelowna, B.C., on Friday, August 18, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
KELOWNA – British Columbia Premier David Eby says the number of people ordered to evacuate wildfire zones has more than doubled to 35,000 people.
Eby says the scale of the evacuations means the government is issuing an order to restrict travel to fire-affected areas to ensure accommodation is available for evacuees and emergency personnel.
He told a news briefing the order restricts non-essential travel for the purpose of staying in temporary accommodation such as a hotel, motel or campground.
Eby, who says a further 30,000 people are on evacuation alert across B.C., says the order is needed to secure accommodation for fire crews and evacuees who “desperately need it.”
He says Solicitor General Mike Farnworth has also authorized emergency provisions to allow municipal RCMP resources to be deployed to evacuated areas and secure empty properties.
The announcements come a day after Eby declared a provincewide state of emergency in response to the battle against hundreds of wildfires.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2023.
