Officials in British Columbia’s Central Okanagan say people whose homes were destroyed by the wildfire in and around West Kelowna are being contacted to schedule escorted bus visits to assess the damage.
A statement from the regional emergency operations centre says only people whose properties are completely destroyed or damaged to the point they’re uninhabitable will be invited to participate at this time.
It says the process is aimed at ensuring people who have lost their homes “have the privacy, time and space to be the first to see their properties.”
It says the bus visits are being offered before officials lift any further evacuation orders in neighbourhoods ravaged by wildfire nearly two weeks ago.
People must remain on the bus during their visit, and not all properties will be visible from the bus, such as those with a long driveway, the statement noted.
Regional staff, as well as RCMP and mental health professionals, will be present during visits to offer support to property owners, the district said.
The 126-square-kilometre McDougall Creek wildfire continues to burn out of control in the hills above the area and is part of a complex of fires that destroyed or damaged nearly 190 properties.
New evacuation order in Shuswap
To the north, in the Shuswap region, the threat of the Bush Creek East blaze has prompted a new evacuation order for 14 properties in the Sorrento area, where wildfire has already destroyed or significantly damaged nearly 170 properties.
Derek Sutherland, director of the emergency operations centre for the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, said there was an “active fire fight” Tuesday night on the west side of Sorrento, where crews managed to save a home.
Firefighters felt “comfortable” with the status of the fire by Wednesday morning, which brought more favourable weather, information officer Tim Conrad said.
“The weather forecast that we’ve received is one of the best we’ve seen in quite a while,” he told a Wednesday briefing.
“At the same time, we’re marked with the reality that we’re making phone calls to people that have lost their homes and their cottages and so on.”
Meanwhile, Chase RCMP say they’ve recovered some critical firefighting equipment that was stolen earlier this month from the Shuswap area.
Police say they were tipped off by members of the community and no arrests have been made. Mounties found the equipment on a rural property in the Celista area.
“Equipment is [in] an extreme shortage across not only Canada, but the world, to be honest,” said fire information officer Mike McCulley on Wednesday.
“I hope that’s just a chance for people to respect and understand why it’s so important to leave that alone if you see it.”
Ongoing threat of fire in West Kelowna
Back in the Central Okanagan, officials said Wednesday that cooler, wetter conditions contributed to a “calm night” for the McDougall Creek blaze.
But they said the weather pattern also brought stronger winds, prompting the expansion of an evacuation alert for parts of the city.
A statement from West Kelowna fire Chief Jason Brolund said those winds combined with low humidity were a “recipe for increased fire behaviour” and additional firefighters and equipment were stationed in threatened areas.
“We are feeling better about the weather forecast and fire conditions in West Kelowna,” he said Wednesday. “However, this wildfire will be an ongoing threat in the Glenrosa area for a while to come.”
Rainfall overnight and projected in the coming days will help, “but it will not put the fire out,” he said, urging residents to remain vigilant.
Nearly 490 properties in the Central Okanagan remain under evacuation order.
Rain falls south of Lytton
To the west, officials said heavy rain fell overnight on the Kookipi Creek wildfire south of Lytton, B.C. Weather stations recorded as much as 16 millimetres of rain in one area, helping firefighters stymie any growth.
Jessica Mack, an information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service, told a briefing the rainfall has significantly dampened fire behaviour.
“We are able to go more direct to the fire’s edge and work onto those areas, because it’s a little bit safer for our crews to do that,” she said.
More than 420 wildfires are currently burning throughout B.C., as of 4:40 p.m. PT Wednesday, with dozens of new blazes sparked by lightning in the past two days. Nearly 200 fires are classified as out of control.
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