A look at the number of wildfires and evacuations in B.C.
By The Canadian Press on August 20, 2023.
British Columbia remains under a state of emergency after thousands of people were evacuated from their homes because of nearby wildfires, including the blazes on either side of Lake Okanagan in the Interior. Here is a look at some of the fires in question by the numbers: Size of Bush Creek East fire on west side of Adams Lake: 410 square kilometres Size of MacDougall Creek fire in West Kelowna: 110 square kilometres Size of Kookipi Creek fire near Lytton: 105 square kilometres Estimated total number of people under evacuation orders: 30,000 or more Estimated number of people under evacuation alerts: 36,000 Number of firefighters working in West Kelowna: 500 Population of West Kelowna: approximately 38,000 people Number of central Okanagan properties ordered to evacuate: about 10,700 Number of central Okanagan properties on evacuation alert: about 9,500 Number of structures damaged or destroyed: “Significant” Number of wildfires burning in B.C.: 382 Number of B.C. wildfires considered “of note” because they are highly visible or threatening public safety: 14 This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2023 15-14
