Evacuees returning home in Kelowna, B.C., as remaining orders downgraded to alerts

All evacuation orders for properties in Kelowna, B.C., have been downgraded to alerts, officials announced Thursday afternoon.

In addition, orders have been lifted for more than 300 properties in neighbouring Lake Country, but remain in effect for approximatley 700 others. 

Across Okanagan Lake, a number of evacuation orders remain in place for West Kelowna, the Westbank First Nation and other areas of the Regional District of the Central Okanagan. While some have been allowed to return home, many others are still awaiting the all-clear and others have found out they have no homes to return to.

Travis Whiting, Kelowna's fire chief, was emotional Thursday morning as he announced the lifting of the orders.

"This is really exciting news. The energy is very, very high and very, very positive this morning. It has been our goal for the last seven days to get all the residents home safely and we couldn't be more excited to see this happen," he said at a news conference.

"Take care of each other and we'll do our best to get you home," he said, his voice breaking as he concluded his remarks.

After a week of intense firefighting efforts and a turn in the weather, the two fires that sparked in the Okanagan city last week are now considered held.

On Wednesday, officials confirmed that four properties in Kelowna were impacted by the fires, which could mean anything from minor damage to complete destruction. The number of homes or businesses affected is unclear because a property can include multiple structures.

Whiting also told people who are returning that they will see a heavy presence of fire crews patrolling what may be an unrecognizable landscape.

"You're not returning home to the same neighborhood that you left," he said. "Fire has burned in very close to a lot of these homes, right into the backyards."

Those returning are also being warned they could encounter a variety of hazards, including damaged trees. Residents are being asked to stay out of parks and other "natural areas" so crews can assess potential safety issues.

The McDougall Creek wildfire continues to burn out of control and it is uncertain when residents displaced by that blaze will be able to return home.

"I don't want to speculate on numbers or timeframes," West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund said Thursday morning.

"There are large neighborhoods that are getting closer and closer to getting back home. But there are also neighborhoods where it's going to be a little while, particularly those that have sustained significant fire damage."

The number of properties damaged or destroyed in West Kelowna, the West Bank First Nation, and parts of the Central Okanagan Regional District is close to 200. 

For those who have returned already, there is some cautious optimism that he worst is behind them.

Frank Hillebrand lives in West Kelowna and returned to his property Tuesday.

He and his wife left after they could see flames across the road in the trees.

Before leaving, he installed an irrigation system around his house by staple-gunning a hose around the perimeter.

“You don’t think right? You just take your stuff and go. As soon as we turned the water on, we left,” said Hellibrand.

The couple took their two cats and left almost everything else behind, although police who were assisting with the evacuation let him return for his parents ashes.

When he returned, his property remained untouched. He knows he is lucky given how destructive the fire has been. 

"We've got our home, a lot of people don't," he said.