Increased smoke and activity from White Rock Lake fire
The White Rock Lake wildfire is producing more smoke this afternoon which is causing new concerns for Vernon residents.
Information officer Forrest Tower from the BC Wildfire Service said the increased activity is on the southeast side of the fire, west of Okanagan Lake and burning upslope in some timber.
“It’s where we had some increased activity yesterday in the Naswhito Creek drainage…and it’s producing more smoke. We have heavy equipment, crews and lots of helicopter action at the moment. It’s not progressing in any significant rate of spread,” Tower told Vernon Matters just after 4:00 p.m.
Tower said it should not be a major concern to Vernon residents at this point.
“It is definitely burning somewhat more aggressively than we’ve seen in the last few days. This part of the fire has been pretty active yesterday and today, but there is helicopters, equipment and crews, so no major concern of it spreading with any significant rate of spread east.”
An evacuation alert remains in place for the following areas of the City of Vernon:
- Canadian Lakeview Estates
- Adventure Bay
- Tronson Road between 8125 to 9280
The city said the alert remains in place out of an abundance of caution and in consideration of the weather forecast for the next few days.
Evacuation alert area in Vernon (City of Vernon)
Vernon ESS Reception Centre information
The City of Vernon ESS Reception Centre continues to receive evacuees from neighbouring communities who have been displaced due to the White Rock Lake fire (#K61884).
The Reception Centre is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, until further notice, at the Dogwood Gym in the Vernon Recreation Centre (3409 35th Avenue).
Staff and volunteers have been working diligently to assist evacuees as quickly as possible. Processing times have varied due to the number of people needing to access the Centre’s services, so the City thanks everyone for their patience and understanding as applications and requests for referrals are being processed.
For those attending the Reception Centre, please note:
- All evacuees should register online with ESS Evacuee Registration & Assistance (ERA) even if you do not require referrals such as housing or other services: ess.gov.bc.ca.
- Commercial accommodations in Vernon are extremely limited at this time. Please make arrangements to stay with family or friends, if possible. Anyone looking to book commercial accommodations will be best served to look well outside the municipal boundary.
A province-wide listing of evacuation alerts and orders is available from EmergencyMapBC here.