Phased safe return home for City of Kelowna
Phased safe return home for City of Kelowna
Kelowna, B.C. – As the Clifton McKinley Fire is now held, the Emergency Operations Centre is working hard to get City of Kelowna residents home as soon as possible.
Crews are working on a process today to get neighbourhoods in the City safe for residents’ return. A phased approach is underway to prepare neighbourhoods and residents must not return home until cordemergency.ca sends out public notification that their area is cleared.
This phased approach must be followed to avoid interference with the important work crews are doing right now to prepare neighbourhoods for the return home, including removal of hazard trees in nearby forested areas.
“Today’s the day we get people in the City of Kelowna home, but in a safe, phased and orderly way,” said City of Kelowna Fire Chief Travis Whiting. “It is important that residents watch for more information throughout the day at cordemergency.ca on when their specific neighbourhood is ready for safe return.”
The public should be aware that, for their protection, closures of parks and natural areas will continue including Stephens Coyote Ridge Regional Park and the North Glenmore Dog Park. For more information on Stephens Coyote Ridge Regional Park, go to www.rdco.com. Residents are asked to respect signs, locked gates and barricades and stay out of these parks and natural areas in the wildfire affected areas for their safety. Crews will be doing hazard assessments and working in those areas to get them safe for eventually re-entry in the weeks ahead.
If residents returning home notice hot spots within their areas, they can call the Kelowna Fire Department non-emergency line at 250-469-8577.
As Evacuation Orders are downgraded and Evacuation Orders are removed, residents are reminded that they may also encounter various hazards on their private properties from the wildfire.
The Emergency Operations Centre provides a comprehensive guide for returning home with a variety of resources about property and food safety, pets, insurance, mental health supports and more. Go to:
Other online resources for residents returning to their homes include:
The public is reminded, for the safety of the public and fire crews, to not enter areas still under an Evacuation Order. There are still many areas where active firefighting is underway and dangers like downed power lines, hazardous materials, debris and equipment pose a safety risk.
Residents are asked to stay up to date with the status of evacuation alerts and orders through the CORD emergency site and also subscribe to receive e-updates. Go online to cordemergency.ca.
More Information:
For more information, contact the information line at 250-469-8490 (local) or 1-877-569-8490 (toll-free).
Municipal service information
For municipal and local government information such as boat launch, park and road closures, visit their websites:
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