Next steps for Lake Country residents
Lake Country, B.C. – With the Lake Country Fire now held, the Emergency Operations Centre is working hard to get Lake Country residents home as soon as possible.
Crews continue to work in local neighbourhoods. A phased approach is underway to prepare neighbourhoods. Residents must not return home until cordemergency.ca sends out public notification that their area is cleared.
“Our teams are working hard extinguish all remaining hotspots and manage danger trees near homes and we’re moving folks back to their properties as fast as safety possible,” said Lake Country Fire Chief Darren Lee. “We know returning you to your homes and back to work is important to you. We're almost there. We need to finish strong and safely.”
Residents watch for more information at cordemergency.ca over the coming days for when their specific neighbourhood is ready for safe return.
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.
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.
If residents returning home notice hot spots within their areas, they can call the non-emergency fire line at 250-469-8577.
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:
- Emergency Management and Climate Readiness BC
- Returning Home after a Fire
- Interior Health’s Emergency Information
- CORD Resources
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:
