Emergency Social Services representative Sheral Moore speaks with an evacuee at a reception centre for those evacuated due to the McDougall Creek wildfire in West Kelowna, B.C., on Tuesday, August 22, 2023. Evacuation orders in the Central Okanagan region of British Columbia continue to be rescinded as more residents are allowed to return home. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
The fire chief of West Kelowna, B.C., says it’s “all about emotions” as his community begins to process the devastation wrought by a fast-moving wildfire nine days ago.
Jason Brolund says he and his crews are “gutted by the losses” of more than 180 homes in communities on the shores of Okanagan Lake.
But he says they’re starting to breathe “a collective sigh, although very cautiously,” given the hot, sunny weather in the forecast for the province’s southern Interior.
Brolund says community support has been like “fuel” for his crews, from children stopping by with encouraging signs to the meals being prepared for firefighters.
He says about 900 people from West Kelowna were allowed to return home yesterday as evacuation orders in the Central Okanagan were rescinded.
Orders are also being lifted for some in the District of Lake Country and on Westbank First Nation lands, though active firefighting continues in the region.
The B.C. government, meanwhile, says mental health supports are available for people affected by wildfires, with disaster psychological support personnel deployed to emergency reception centres throughout the Interior.
Emergency workers are again warning boaters to stay off Okanagan Lake in the section between the W. R. Bennett Bridge and Fintry Provincial Park to accommodate firefighting aircraft that may make use of the water.
The McDougall Creek wildfire, responsible for much of the destruction in the Kelowna area, has burned about 123 square kilometres of land since being discovered on Aug. 15.
Cooler and wetter weather earlier this week – including heavy rainfalls in parts of the Okanagan and Shuswap regions – helped firefighters turn the tide on a number of major blazes in the region.
The latest update from the Columbia Shuswap Regional District says the Bush Creek East wildfire has destroyed more than 130 structures and partially damaged almost 40 more, as crews continue to battle the blaze now measuring 418 square kilometres in size.
Environment Canada says weather in both the Okanagan and the Shuswap will be sunny and warm this weekend, with high temperatures pushing 30 degrees Celsius before rain is forecast to return next Tuesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 26, 2023.
