'Monumental loss': Fire evacuees from Kelowna, B.C., area learning status of homes online

After several long days of waiting, wildfire evacuees from the Kelowna, B.C., area are getting an opportunity to check the status of their properties online.

The service is launching Wednesday through the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations website, officials said, though evacuees have not been provided with an exact time.

Doug Gilchrist, Kelowna's city manager, said a web-based service was deemed necessary "because of the number of properties that have been impacted."

Evacuees will be able to input their address and receive an immediate response letting them know "whether (their) property is fine or whether it has been damaged – partial or total structural loss," said Gilchrist at a news conference.

Those who have suffered significant wildfire damage will be asked to complete an online form to help with the Regional District of Central Okanagan's recovery planning, officials said.

"If your property is not listed as having significant damage, that does not mean you can go home," Gilchrist added. "All the alerts and orders are still in place for those areas."

MORE EVACUATIONS BEING RESCINDED

Emergency crews have been working around the clock responding to the wildfires threatening Kelowna, West Kelowna and the surrounding areas, and that includes efforts to assess safety and remove hazards from evacuation zones.

Officials promised there would be more evacuation orders downgraded to alerts Wednesday, but urged anyone returning home to exercise caution.

"Unstable ground, danger trees and things of the like may certainly still exist," Gilchrist said. "And please do not go into forested areas around the homes, those have not been assessed in the same way or investigated."

Loyal Wooldridge, chairperson of the RDCO, thanked members of the community who have been supporting each other throughout the wildfire disaster, including the local restaurants providing free meals to evacuees.

While some residents have been encouraged seeing wildfire smoke clear away and blue skies return, Wooldridge noted the hard work of recovery is only beginning.

"Some of the most challenging days are ahead," he said. "People and communities will learn of monumental loss. This will be a process of grief, collectively."

CLEARER PICTURE OF FIRE DAMAGE

Firefighters also provided a clearer picture of the damage wrought by the region's wildfires on Wednesday, confirming there were 84 properties affected in West Kelowna and the Westbank First Nation, and 90 more in the Central Okanagan West Electoral Area.

Fire Chief Ross Kotscherofski from North Westside Fire Rescue said the impacts range from "damaged landscaping to total loss."

"I want to stress that these are not structures, but properties," Kotscherofski added. "Some properties such as the Lake Okanagan Resort have several structures."

That resort, which caught fire last week as local wildfires were exploding in size and intensity, contains nearly 200 units on its own, the fire chief noted.

Overnight rainfall provided some welcome relief for emergency crews, who have reported making good progress beating back the McDougall Creek, Lake Country and Clifton/McKinley fires.

All of the wildfires are still categorized as burning out of control, however, and the McDougall Creek blaze – the largest of the cluster referred to as the Grouse complex –was estimated at around 12,300 hectares as of Wednesday morning.