Shelter Cove Westside Road Fire News Release 13

It’s expected there will be aerial activity with at least four helicopters working today along with 60 BC Wildfire Service firefighters and equipment on the ground in the attack against the Shelter Cove/Westside Road wildfire.

The fire area is located approximately 17 kilometers northwest of downtown Kelowna.  Both the City of Kelowna and City of West Kelowna are located well away from the actual fire scene.

The BC Wildfire Service says it will be reinforcing retardant lines laid down late yesterday by aircraft along the southern and northern flanks of the active 460-hectare fire.  Crews will also be mopping up the area along Westside Road.

This wildfire is still considered as potentially aggressive and as a result in the interest of public safety the Evacuation Order remains in effect for approximately 70 homes along Westside Road.

Those properties within the Evacuation area are along Westside Road from Denison Road north to La Casa Resort (but not including La Casa), as well as the following roads: Denison Road, Shelter Cove Road and Deighton Road.

There are no Evacuation Alerts associated with this fire. Neither La Casa Resort nor Lake Okanagan Resort are under the Evacuation Order or Alert at this time.

BC Hydro is continuing to provide rotating electrical service for approximately 900 customers on a rotating basis.  Each rotation has a six hour duration and provides power to 300 customers at a time.  This rotation will continue until BC Hydro can make repairs to the system.  200 customers directly in the fire zone and in the La Casa subdivision are not able to receive this rotational power.  Once it is safe for Hydro crews to get into the Evacuation Area they will begin assessing damage to lines and poles to begin power restoration. 

Residents outside the Evacuation Area affected by the rotating electrical service may wish to consider fire-related health and safety information provided by Interior Health.  The agency says if the power has been out in your home, the food in your fridge or freezer may no longer be safe to eat.   Interior Health suggests ‘When in doubt, throw it out’ and you should not take any chances with the safety of your food.  For more specific information related to health and safety due to the Shelter Cove/Westside Road fire visit the IH website:  http://www.interiorhealth.ca/AboutUs/MediaCentre/NewsReleases/Documents/Westside%20Rd%20power%20outage%20and%20evacuations%20-%20food%20and%20water%20safety%20tips.pdf .

Residents serviced by either the Traders Cove or North Westside transfer stations can dispose of any items of concern during the normal operating hours.  The North Westside facility is open Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.  The Traders Cove station is open Wednesday from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
 
RCMP security continues today both on land and the water.  Okanagan Lake boaters are encouraged to continue to watch for helicopters and skimmers that may be working this fire and stay well away from the Evacuation area.

The Emergency Support Services Reception Centre in the Westside Lions Community Hall at 2466 Main Street in West Kelowna is open to provide assistance to those residents that are on Evacuation Order.  Emergency Management BC has approved an extension of accommodation for those registered for up to 72 hours, should that be needed.

Westside Road remains closed between Cinnabar Creek and La Casa Resort.  Westside Road remains open in both directions from the north to La Casa Resort and from the south to the closure at Cinnabar Creek.  For the latest road information, visit the Drive BC website at drivebc.ca

For the most up-to-date information on the fire, visit cordemergency.ca.