A helicopter equipped to respond to wildfires flies past homes in the Wilden neighbourhood near Knox Mountain after RCMP officers enforced a new evacuation order, in Kelowna, B.C., Friday, Aug. 18, 2023.
Image Credit: CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
August 19, 2023 - 1:00 PM
A state of emergency remains in place today across British Columbia as threatening wildfires force thousands of residents to evacuate from homes in the Okanagan in the southern Interior and elsewhere in the province.
Here are the latest developments on the B.C. wildfires (all times are PT):
11:30 a.m.:
Structural losses have been confirmed in the City of Kelowna by fire chief Travis Whiting, who says he can't share specific numbers until after homeowners have been informed.
Whiting says firefighters have nevertheless been very successful in protecting homes from the Clifton-McKinley wildfire.
Whiting says people need to stay out of the way of fire crews, and boaters need to stay off Lake Okanagan as firefighting aircraft will be using it to pick up water.
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11:20 a.m.:
West Kelowna's fire chief is praising hundreds of firefighters for earning what he called a reprieve for the city as a devastating wildfires continue to rage nearby.
But Jason Brolund says firefighters are still tackling multiple structure fires, including streets full of burning houses.
Speaking at a briefing this morning, Brolund said the previous night's battle got a boost from calmer and cooler conditions, but the fight continues to expand.
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10:30 a.m.:
West Kelowna resident Claire Blaker is wondering if the house she left on Friday is still standing.
Blaker says she came to Kelowna and watched from the waterfront as other homes in her neighbourhood caught fire.
She says she's worried about her sister, who lives less than half a kilometre from her, and her elderly neighbours who have lived in Kelowna since the mid 1970s.
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10:10 a.m.:
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has downgraded an evacuation order to an alert for some properties along the Similkameen River.
The area on the west side of Highway 3 includes Suncatchers RV Park, Riverside MH Park and Lucky R MH Park.
The district says 13 properties remain under an evacuation order and 195 are under an alert as a result of the Crater Creek Wildfire.
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10 a.m.:
Two press conferences have been scheduled to provide updates about the wildfires that are threatening West Kelowna and Kelowna.
The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre says there will be an "operational update" at 11 a.m. Saturday with representatives from BC Wildfire Service, RCMP and provincial emergency support services.
The Regional District of Central Okanagan has scheduled a briefing for noon which will include local mayors and the chief of the Westbank First Nation.
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8:30 a.m.:
The Canadian Red Cross has launched an appeal to help support people affected by the wildfires threatening communities and forcing thousands to evacuate their homes.
Donations to the British Columbia Fires Appeal will be used for immediate and ongoing relief, recovery and resilience efforts and could also be used for preparedness and risk reduction for future provincial disasters.
Canadians wishing to make a donation can do so online at www.redcross.ca or by calling 1-800-418-1111.
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8:25 a.m.:
Members of a Kelowna family say they've got a trailer packed and ready to go if the massive wildfire menacing their community forces them out of their home.
Chris Durkee and Danielle Mogdam and their five kids had just returned to their Kelowna home from a trip to Alberta earlier this week and thought they were safe from the fire across the lake.
But yesterday they were awoken by a neighbour banging on their door to tell them a mountainside visible from their yard was on fire.
Durkee, who has lived in Kelowna for 30 years, says the family isn't panicking just yet but has packed the trailer as a precaution should the flames get too close.
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7:30 a.m.:
The Lower East Adams Lake Wildfire has prompted evacuation orders in the Shuswap Lake area east of Kamloops.
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District and area Indigenous nations issued evacuation orders Friday night for the Scotch Creek, Lee Creek, Celista, Magna Bay and Little River areas.
The Scotch Creek and Takana Bay bridges were closed and Scotch Creek residents were told to evacuate by boat.
--- This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2023.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2023