McDougall Creek Wildfire Update
Central Okanagan, B.C. – The EOC is activated to support the McDougall Creek Wildfire.
Be ready to evacuate. Evacuation Alerts are currently in effect for portions of West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation and a portion of the Central Okanagan West Electoral Area.
The next update from the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre is expected later today unless the situation changes.
Residents in the area are advised to be ready to leave their home at a moment’s notice. They should be prepared to be away from their home for an extended period of time, make arrangements for pets and livestock and pack essential items such as medicines and important documents.
Up to 4,800 properties have been placed on Evacuation Alert in the following communities:
- Bartley Road
- Bear Creek Provincial Park
- Pine Point
- Raymer Bay
- Rose Valley
- Sailview Bay
- Shannon Woods
- Smith Creek
- Tallus Ridge
- Traders Cove
- West Kelowna Estates
- West Kelowna Industrial and Business Park
- Portions of Westbank First Nation IR#9
- Portions of Westbank First Nation IR#10
- Portions of the Central Okanagan West Electoral Area south of Bear Creek Main Forest Service Road, including the Bear Creek Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Site
Due to the number of properties under Alert, refer to the interactive map on cordemergency.ca to search by street address to determine if you are affected.
Bear Creek Provincial Park is also under an Evacuation Alert and campers are advised to be ready to leave the area. Recreation users are advised to avoid the Alert areas within the West Kelowna and Central Okanagan West Electoral Area until further notice.
The BC Wildfire Service is continuing to respond to the McDougall Creek Wildfire, which is estimated to be 64 hectares.
Weather alerts issued by Environment Canada are advising of gusty winds today and overnight Friday may worsen wildfire conditions and possible new fire starts.
Emergency response personnel request that the public:
- Monitor conditions and follow the advice of emergency officials
- Prepare your grab-and-go kit and make a plan with family and friends
- Pre-register at https://ess.gov.bc.ca/ ahead of time for Emergency Support Services
- Please only call 911 in case of emergency
Our e-news update system to subscribers experienced technical issues last night and staff have remedied the situation and EOC appreciates the patience of residents.
For up-to-date information on the situation, including a map, and to sign up for e-updates, visit cordemergency.ca. Information will also be provided via twitter.com/CO_Emerg and facebook.com/CORDEmergency.
An update from the EOC is expected this mid-morning and will issue further updates when more information is available.
Contact the information line at 250-469-8490 (local) or 1-877-569-8490 (toll-free).
For municipal and local government information such as potential road closures, visit their websites:
Motorists considering travelling on Highway 97 and Westside Road visit drivebc.ca for up-to-date road closures information.
