An aerial view of the McDougall Creek wildfire this morning, taken by BC Wildfire.
Image Credit: BC Wildfire
August 19, 2023 - 1:43 PM
Visitors to the Okanagan are being asked to cancel their plans and leave because of the wildfire situation.
“The current situation is grim,” Premier David Eby said at a news conference this afternoon.
“About 35,000 people are on evacuation order right now.”
READ MORE: B.C. declares wildfire emergency amid desperate battle to save West Kelowna
Eby said there’s an urgent need for more accommodation.
“As a result we will be issuing a new order under the emergency authorities the government has,” he said. “And this is specific to ensuring we have accommodation available to evacuees (and) for emergency personnel so that they have places to stay as they respond to the frontline and have to evacuate their own camps.”
Travel is now restricted in fire-affected areas.
“This order says stay off the roads for tourist-related, non-essential travel to stay in temporary accommodation.”
An order shouldn’t even be necessary – just stay out of the affected areas if you don’t have to be there, Eby said.
Bowinn Ma, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, asked visitors who are already in the Okanagan to check out early and free up their space for evacuees and responders.
“Let me be clear: temporary accommodations in (Kelowna, Kamloops, Oliver, Osoyoos, Penticton And Vernon) are no longer available for non-essential visits,” Ma said. “If you do not need to travel to these areas for essential reasons, we need you to change our plans. This will ensure that accommodations … are available for evacuees and frontline responders in the Okanagan.”
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