Image Credit: FILE PHOTO
September 05, 2023 - 11:08 AM
With the Walroy Lake wildfire in Kelowna and the Clarke Creek wildfire in Lake Country both under control, all evacuation alerts have been removed for residents in those communities.
While those homes are considered safe, Lake Country Mayor Blair Ireland cautioned people to stay out of rural areas that are still restricted.
“It’s important that we continue to respect the closures in affected areas,” he said in a district news release issued today, Sept. 5.
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“Stay out of the closed park areas and forests – it’s dangerous. Crews are working hard to ensure that these areas are safe for residents to visit. Please use common sense and don’t take risks – it’s not worth it.”
The cause of both fires is listed as under investigation by the BC Wildfire Service but it’s commonly thought they were ignited by embers that drifted across Okanagan Lake from the McDougall Creek wildfire on the night of Aug. 17.
That fire is still out of control and hundreds of people in West Kelowna and the rural area of the regional district to the north are under evacuation orders.
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The Walroy Lake wildfire in Kelowna burned an estimated 733 hectares while Clarke Creek wildfire in Lake Country consumed 373 ha.
For the latest on wildfires in the Central Okanagan, and a map of the areas currently under order or alert, go here.
For municipal and local government information such as landfill and transfer station hours, water restrictions, boat launch, park and road closures, visit their websites below:
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