McDougall Creek Wildfire update
Central Okanagan, B.C. – The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre hosted a live conference at 10 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) to provide an update on the McDougall Creek Wildfire, which is currently estimated at 11,000 hectares and involves three separate fires:
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McDougall Creek Fire on the west side of Okanagan Lake impacting the City of West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation and Regional District of Central Okanagan Electoral Area West
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North Clifton/McKinley Fire affecting the City of Kelowna
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Lake Country Fire impacting the District of Lake Country
As of 11 a.m. PDT, 10,782 properties throughout the Central Okanagan were on EVACUATION ORDER and 10,759 were on EVACUATION ALERT.
More than 500 active firefighting personnel will be on the ground throughout the region on Sunday, Aug. 20, with support from hundreds of additional personnel working for various other governments and agencies.
Fighting the fire remains emergency first responders’ number one priority. While cooler temperatures and lighter winds helped crews make progress overnight, the wildfires are active and the situation remains fluid.
Structural losses have occurred. The number of structural losses will be announced after confirmation can be achieved through on-the-ground assessments as personnel are able to safety access the fire-affected areas.
View a recording of the conference at https://www.youtube.com/live/0kaDIACQLTM?si=B1HcojT5_zSCbuWP.
The next operational update is currently scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday, August. 21. Watch the live streams at https://www.youtube.com/@regionaldistrict/streams.
Background:
Those on EVACUATION ORDER must register online at https://ess.gov.bc.ca.
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After they register online, those evacuees who are in need support can attend the reception centre nearest them at either Royal LePage Place at 2760 Cameron Road in West Kelowna and Kal Tire Place at 3445 43 Avenue in Vernon.
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If you have home or tenant insurance, you may already have coverage and you should check with your insurer first. Evacuees may also be able to find supports from friends and family.
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If these other assistance options are not available to you, Emergency Support Services can provide assistance.
Those on EVACUATION ALERT must be ready to leave at a moment’s notice and be prepared to be away for their homes for an extended period of time.
Residents are asked to stay up to date through the CORD emergency site and also subscribe to receive e-updates. Go online to cordermegency.ca.
View the up-to-date evacuation order and alert areas on cordemergency.ca/map.
For more information, contact the information line at 250-469-8490 (local) or 1-877-569-8490 (toll-free).
For municipal and local government information such as boat launch, park and road closures, visit their websites:
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http://facebook.com/cordemergency
