Top Stories – Aug 21 – All About Fire

No one more than firefighters were happy to see the weather conditions and especially the winds moderate over the weekend. The McDougall Creek and fires on the east side of the lake were last estimated at just over 12,000 hectares, but smoke has made it difficult to be precise. West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund says it feels like they are moving forward as they haven’t been challenged with extreme fire behavior. There are no reports of missing persons, though a number of homes and structures have been lost. The evacuation orders and alerts affecting more than 21,000 properties will stay in place until it is safe. Locally, a federal urban search and rescue task force has been brought in to help with searches and damage assessment. As for the airport, check with your airline. Reception centres for evacuees are at Royal LePage Place in West Kelowna and Kal Tire Place in Vernon. Cordemergency.ca is the place to stay updated and you can sign up for alerts.

Hotels, motels, inns, bed and breakfasts, hostels, RV parks, and campgrounds are off limits for travelers in many areas affected by fires in BC including the Okanagan Valley. Under the state of emergency, the Province says the order will ensure that temporary accommodations are available for evacuees and critical-response personnel like firefighters and health-care workers. Victoria is calling on everyone to avoid non-essential travel to the area.

An additional 44 RCMP officers arrived in Kelowna on the weekend to help manage security around the wildfires. The officers are members from the Highway Patrol, Indigenous Policing Services, Tactical Troop, and other specialized and frontline units from within BC. And firefighters from as far away as Quesnel and Vancouver Island are lending assistance.

A few things to keep in mind regarding the fires. West Kelowna has initiated Stage 4 water regulations for utility customers, meaning no outdoor watering to help protect available supply. Also residents on the Rose Valley and West Kelowna Estates Water systems are being told to not consume or use water out of the tap, except for flushing. Sunnyside/Pritchard is still on a boil water order. Most communities have suspended outdoor recreation services and some indoor for the time being. Almost all regional district parks including Knox Mountain and Dilworth are closed. Curbside collection of garbage and recycling will resume today across the Central Okanagan for residents who are not on evacuation alert or order.

The Emergency Operations Centre suggests those with the means could make a financial donation to the United Way’s BC Wildfire Recovery Fund. Donations help support programs & essential services to BC residents as they recover emotionally & physically from the devastation of wildfires. You can get info on the United Way BC website.

With calming weather conditions many of the approximately 500 firefighters on both sides of the lake are working on building fireguards at the various blazes in what is called the Grouse complex. West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund says while there have been a number of homes and structures lost, there are no reports of missing people. The Emergency Operations Centre is working to allow people to return to their homes, but that won’t happen until it’s absolutely safe. As of yesterday there were about 21,300 properties on evacuation order and alert. As for the airport, check with your airline. You can sign up to receive email alerts on the fire and evacuation situation at cordemergency.ca .

On the roads, Westside Road is still closed between West Kelowna and Vernon. Highway 97 through the Lake Country area is open, but there is a travel advisory that it could be closed on short notice. And it goes without saying that roads are closed in evacuation areas and we thank First Responders for patrolling neighbourhoods.

Interior Health has been working with its partners all weekend to determine where more than 800 people from 8 care facilities can be moved to because of the fires. Some have been moved to the coast. It has also established a phone line where families can receive updates on the location of their loved ones. Links are on the IH home page.

SPORTS

At Mosaic Stadium yesterday, the BC Lions dropped a 31-29 decision to the Roughriders. That leaves them in second place in the CFL West as Winnipeg won their game.

The Okanagan Sun football game Saturday night was cancelled because of the fires.

There is a Monday night NFL exhibition game as the Washington Commanders host the Baltimore Ravens.

The Toronto Blue Jays are done in Cincinnati where on the weekend they won 2 of 3 games. It’s a travel day as they begin a series in Baltimore tomorrow.

The PGA Tour playoff’s BMW Championship was won by Viktor Hovland who shot 9 under yesterday to finish at 17 under par.