An RCMP officer checks a property evacuated by a wildfire recently at an unknown location in the Southern Interior.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/RCMP
August 21, 2023 - 4:30 PM
While the BC Wildfire Service has reported firefighting equipment being stolen in the North Shuswap, looting has not been an issue in the Central Okanagan.
Still, people have been found in areas that are under evacuation orders, Kelowna Regional RCMP Supt. Kara Triance said during a wildfire update today, Aug. 21.
“As of this morning we have, behind evacuation order areas, no confirmed break and enters in Lake Country, West Kelowna and Kelowna,” she said. “What I can tell you is, there has been a lot of discussion on social media with respect to property crime and to people accessing those areas.
“We cannot actively monitor all of your social media groups. We need you to call 911 if you see unauthorized (people) on your home cameras in your neighbourhoods.”
There are many people including police, firefighters, infrastructure staff, fire investigators, technical support staff and tree fallers working in evacuated areas.
If people see questionable activities on their home security cameras they should definitely call them in to police, Supt. Triance said.
“Those are useful calls to us,” she said. “We can usually verify very quickly who that is because we have emergency operations centre staff and police officers embedded in the emergency operations centre to confirm who that person is in that area, performing what work.
“We have a lot of unmarked police cars and unmarked vehicles being used in this case behind evacuation order lines, keeping our marked vehicles out in front so the public can see those more clearly.”
READ MORE: At least 50 structures damaged or destroyed in West Kelowna
The detachment has been beefed up by officers from outside the region, according to a new release from RCMP Southeast Division.
“As a result, residents in the Okanagan region will notice a substantial increase in the visible policing presence,” RCMP Cpl. James Brady said in the release.
Triance said there were three incidents of unsecured premises in West Kelowna that were investigated. One involved a window broken by firefighters doing their jobs. The other two were confirmed not to be break-ins.
“We have individuals who have been located behind evacuation ordered areas and, in all cases, those individuals have been escorted out,” Triance said. “Many people have tried to come in through forested areas or accessed areas to come back home to pick up things.
“We just want to remind the public that is not a safe thing to do. We’ve heard from our fire chiefs today there are active flames in these areas.”
She was in two areas yesterday where she saw snapped power lines hanging across roads and, in one case, a FortisBC employee ran out of a home to warn of a gas leak.
Yesterday, a wildfire service Facebook post asked people not to remove firefighting equipment in the North Shuswap area.
“We understand frustration and fear exist, but the professionals relying on this equipment need it to continue to fight these fires,” the post read. “The number of pumps, sprinklers, hoses and ATVs that have been taken are critically impacting the effectiveness of structural protection.
“Gear that would protect dozens of homes is being moved to the areas that are ineffective and compromising structure protection plans. Some of the gear has disappeared entirely and is suspected to be stolen.
“Sprinklers, pumps, and hoses that are set up on the Scotch Creek bridge have been removed and taken three separate times. This bridge must be protected to allow safe access into and out of the area.”
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