Top Stories – Aug 12 – Fires/Province Heat Up

Nearly 270 wildfires were burning in the province yesterday. Stats from Emergency Management BC show evacuation orders cover nearly 54-hundred properties while residents in almost 31-thousand properties have been warned to be ready to run on short notice. Over 36-hundred firefighters are battling the flames, backed by more than 200 helicopters and air tankers.

A regional district aerial tour of the White Rock Lake wildfire showed at least six structures on four properties within the Bouleau Lake area sustained significant damage in the blaze. These properties were outside the RDCO fire protection area and is currently under Evacuation Order. Westside Road remains closed between Ewings Landing Rd and Louis Estates Rd.

Wildfire Centres are watching the forecast, which calls for increased temperatures and winds over the next couple of days. The change can cause variability in fire activity and means residents on Evacuation Alert should be prepared to leave their homes on short notice. For information on how to prepare for evacuation visit cordemergency.ca/beprepared. Boaters are again reminded to keep out of the way of skimmers and helicopters.

As heat continues to build in the Interior, rising temperatures will increase the potential for heat-related illnesses.
Excessive heat exposure can lead to weakness, disorientation and exhaustion. In severe cases, it can also lead to heat stroke, which can be life-threatening. Interior Health reminds us to stay well hydrated, preferably with water and to spend as much time as possible in the shade or air conditioning.

There have been some scares and close calls recently where small fires have been quickly extinguished or narrowly avoided in Kelowna Parks. The city is telling residents and visitors to not bring any ignition sources into parks. This applies to all cooking implements, including portable, propane-fueled barbecues. It’s the same in the rest of the Central Okanagan.

Canada is working to create a digital vaccine passport that would allow citizens to travel abroad and it should be available in the next few months. The sticky point is that Ottawa needs to agree on a common approach with the provinces and territories, which are responsible for keeping track of vaccinations.

No dipping your rod in streams around here for at least a month. Effective immediately, recreational fishing has been closed in most areas of the South Okanagan from Cherryville to the U-S border. Low water conditions combined with higher than normal water temperatures in creeks are creating difficult conditions for fish. Okanagan Lake is still okay for fishin.

Kelowna RCMP and Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement are investigating a crash involving a semi-truck and trailer that closed Clifton Road and High Road for several hours yesterday. It was making a southbound turn onto Clifton when it flipped onto its side. The driver was uninjured, but a passenger was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

As the covid-19 numbers continue to rise in the Central Okanagan, Interior Health says over 95 percent of cases related to this outbreak are among people not fully immunized and the majority are 40 years or younger. Seventy percent of hospitalizations in I-H due to COVID are people between 20 & 59 that are not immunized. There were 258 new cases in the region yesterday.

Sports

The BC Lions move one province closer to home for their second game of the season tonight. After losing in Saskatchewan last week, they take on the Stampeders in Calgary at 6:30. Once again, quarterback Mike Reilly may see limited action due to an arm injury.

Rickie Fowler gets a final chance to keep his season going at the Wyndham Championship this week. And he’s not the only one. Others looking to make the playoffs include: Adam Scott, Justin Rose and Rory Sabbatini.

Canucks restricted free-agent forward Elias Pettersson remains confident a deal is going to get done with the club. He says he wants to stay there now, but also wants to play for a team that’s winning and has the chance to go far into the playoffs every year.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is willing to restructure his contract to accommodate new deals for safety Jamal Adams and left tackle Duane Brown. Restructuring his deal would involve converting 19 Million in salary into a signing bonus to give the Seahawks more immediate cap flexibility.

Vancouver Whitecaps striker Lucas Cavallini will miss the next several weeks with a knee injury. The 28-year-old suffered a P-C-L sprain in the first half of Vancouver’s draw with the Galaxy on Sunday. The club says he hopes to return to play at the end of September.

How dangerous can it be outside in the heat? A 16-year-old high school football player in Nebraska has died after a heat-related emergency at practice. The temperature was 32 degrees with a heat index of 41 at the time he collapsed.