State of local emergency and evacuation order remain in place for downtown Kelowna crane collapse

Downtown Kelowna crane collapse

News Release No. 2, Kelowna, B.C. – The local state of emergency and evacuation order issued on July 12 in response to the downtown Kelowna crane collapse will remain in place until further notice.

Engineers and other professionals are at the incident site on Bernard Ave between St. Paul and Bertram Streets to conduct assessments and safety plans to determine the next steps and safest course of action for the disassembly of the collapsed crane. The disassembly is likely to take place in stages and while it is anticipated that the first stage, if completed successfully, will result in a partial rescinding of the evacuation order, it is not expected to happen until sometime on Wednesday, July 14.  

Therefore, the evacuation order remains in place for the following addresses:

547 – 612 Bernard Ave
1450 – 1488 Bertram Street
1441 – 1471 St. Paul Street

Residents initially evacuated from the downtown Kelowna area by the RCMP at the time of the crane incident and whose addresses are not included in the above list can return to their residences or places of work.

This continues to be an evolving situation and the incident site and its surrounding area remain unsafe and unstable. Road and sidewalk closures, including barricades, are in place to ensure safety. Residents and visitors are to stay out of the area.

Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) staff continue to work with other response agencies to support the incident response and evacuees. As a reminder, individuals on the evacuation order can go to the reception centre at 1480 Sutherland Avenue (Salvation Army) to access Emergency Support Services (ESS). For current information on this incident visit cordemergency.ca. Please do not contact the Salvation Army directly.

The EOC extends many thanks to the ESS volunteers who have been instrumental in providing support and comfort for the individuals evacuated. Victim Services has also provided much needed support for the families of loved ones lost in this tragedy.

Any new information will be released as it becomes available.

Emergency response personnel request that the public:

  • Avoid the incident area and to respect road/sidewalk closures to allow emergency responders to effectively perform their duties
  • Please only call 911 in case of emergency
  • 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