'We just want to go home': Evacuee overwhelmed as wildfire spreads in B.C.'s south Okanagan
Marty Marchand is one of the hundreds of Olalla, B.C. residents who were ordered to leave their homes this week because of the aggressive, out-of-control Keremeos Creek wildfire.
She packed up and left her home on Friday and said the process has been stressful and overwhelming.
"It was tough because I was OK when I left, but then afterward I sat there and I didn't even know where I was going," she said.
"It was an ugly feeling. You kind of feel like you're homeless. You don't have a place to go to," she continued.
She's staying at a motel in Princeton, B.C. – which is roughly 75 kilometres from her home -- until Wednesday. She doesn't know where she'll go after that.
"We just want to go home," she told CTV News.
Despite her emotional state, she said she would rather be safe and away from the dangers of the fire.
Evacuation orders are in place for more than 500 properties, with alerts in place for upwards of 1,000 more.
Bryan Zandberg, information officer for the BC Wildfire Service, said the blaze remained at an estimated 5,903 hectares Sunday morning.
"We are mindful of people's inconvenience and hardship out of their homes. We are trying to get folks back in," he said.
"We're trying to contain the fire. We have 381 firefighting personnel on the fire today," he added. Those crews are being supported by 16 helicopters and 43 units of heavy equipment.
But winds picked up later in the afternoon on Sunday and smoke plumes could be seen just outside the homes of nearby residents in nearby Keremeos where residents have been on edge since an evacuation alert was issued.
"We've been watching it get steadily getting closer over time. I honestly didn't think it would get this far," said Michelle Firrisi.
"We're just getting a little concerned now," she continued.
BC Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon is questioning whether the wildfire service is doing enough to respond, saying they should be using night vision tools.
"It's being utilized in neighbouring Alberta very successfully. In fact, they're bragging about it and tweeting the stories," he said
"We ought to be using it in British Columbia. Come on, BC Wildfire Service, let's put every possible technology, group and equipment to work," he added.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.