189 properties partially or fully lost to wildfires in B.C. Okanagan: officials

Eight properties in B.C.’s Okanagan have been added to the list of structures that have been significantly damaged or fully destroyed by recent wildfires, bringing the total to 189.

The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations revealed the latest additions in a statement Monday, shortly before providing its final, daily livestreamed update on the wildfire situation.

COEO director Sally Ginter says the latest impacted properties are in West Kelowna and a rural area nearby. She’s encouraging residents living in West Kelowna Estates, areas with access to the Bear Creek Main forest service road and neighbourhoods along Westside Road to recheck the status of their properties online.

She says crews will start reaching out to impacted residents to provide support starting Monday, and anticipates the process will take several days.

“We know waiting for the status of your property has been very stressful and it was really important that we shared what we knew when we knew it,” Ginter said at the news conference.

She says that once it’s safe to do so, officials will escort residents on visits to the damaged sites.

West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund described the damage in the West Kelowna Estates neighbourhood as significant.

“The power poles have burned, the lines are on the ground, the transformers are tipped over—all of that is being removed and rebuilt,” Brolund said during the announcement, adding there are also several trees that need to be removed.

“I’m being asked over and over again ‘When can we go home?’ And it’s a very fair question. But the answer is simple—you’ll be allowed to go home as soon as it’s safe,” he said.

As of Saturday afternoon, evacuation orders were still in place for approximately 1,588 properties in West Kelowna and another 1,114 in the Regional District of Central Okanagan. On Sunday, hundreds of those orders were downgraded to alerts.

Officials are encouraging residents in the affected areas to recheck their property status online at cordemergency.ca/propertyinfo.

The 189 properties that have been partially or fully lost to wildfires include four in Kelowna, 19 in Westbank First Nation, 69 in West Kelowna and 94 in the Regional District of Central Okanagan.

Lake Okanagan Resort has been counted as a single property, though officials note 150 units there have been impacted.

Officials anticipate the tally will continue to increase as crews gain better access to fire-ravaged areas.

FROM RESPONSE TO RECOVERY

Ginter says the district is transitioning from wildfire response to recovery and is currently working on opening a resiliency centre near emergency support services to help residents access mental health resources. It’s hoped that centre will be available by the end of this week.

Brolund echoed Ginter, calling Monday a day of “continued transition.”

However, he said that the McDougall Creek wildfire, which has grown to an estimated 12,634 kilometres in size since it was discovered on Aug. 15, is not going away anytime soon.

“This fire will be with us for awhile. Not in the streets and neighbourhoods, but in the hills above,” said Brolund.

He emphasized that progress is being made, including that an evacuation order for Rose Valley Elementary School was lifted Sunday night.

“This morning, the teachers were able to get back into the school and begin to set up their classrooms for the resumption of business. That’s a major milestone for the community,” said Brolund.

He said it’s been his honour and pleasure to provide daily updates each morning, noting that this will be the last.

“It’s time for our event to shift to others who are going to be leading this fight to get you back into your homes,” said Brolund.