Structural Loss in confirmed in West Kelowna and RDCO West Areas
Central Okanagan, B.C. – Firefighters continue to work diligently overnight on interface areas of the McDougall Creek to protect property and infrastructure in West Kelowna. The fire remains very active and unpredictable.
Overnight, officials have confirmed some structural loss. A full assessment of the areas affected will be undertaken in the morning.
A detailed update will be provided at 10am on Friday, August 18, 2023 by Emergency Officials. Log-in information for the livestreamed event will be posted on cordemergency.ca.
Currently 2,462 properties are under Evacuation Order and 4,801 properties are under evacuation alert for the McDougall Creek Wildfire.
All current orders and alerts remain in place and the public are reminded to stay out of the evacuation area as they are active fire zones. As per Transport Canada, drones are prohibited from flying over a forest fire area or any area located within five nautical miles of a forest fire area.
Evacuees should register online at https://ess.gov.bc.ca. Evacuees are encouraged to find temporary lodging with family and friends.
All reception centres in West Kelowna, Kelowna and Vernon have closed for the evening. An overnight shelter centre has opened at Prospera Place, 1223 Water Street, Kelowna for evacuees requiring a place to go overnight. Small pets caged or leashed are permitted.
ESS will be available to evacuees in the morning to assist with registrations.
Residents can refer to the interactive map on cordemergency.ca to search by street address to determine if you are affected by active orders or alerts.
Residents under Evacuation Alert are advised to be ready to leave their home at a moment’s notice. They should prepare to be away from their home for an extended period of time, make arrangements for pets and pack essential items such as medicines and important documents.
Emergency Operations Centre staff are working with other response agencies to manage the situation and minimize the impacts. Public safety and the safety of emergency response personnel are the primary concerns at this time.
Emergency response personnel request that:
- Those on evacuation alert pre-register at https://ess.gov.bc.ca/ ahead of time for Emergency Support Services should an Evacuation Order be declared.
- The public avoid the Evacuation Alert areas so emergency responders can 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.
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:
