Firefight shifts from community to the hills, says fire chief

Amid more planned ignitions and the further rescinding of evacuation orders in West Kelowna, officials have warned the large wildfire to the northwest is not contained and will be around for some time.

Also, entire utility systems need to be removed and rebuilt in the hardest hit parts of West Kelowna.

Speaking at a media briefing Monday, West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund said the hard work continues even as people return home.

“Today is a day of continued transition …to recovery,” Brolund said. “The firefight in our community has transitioned to a firefight in the hills above our community.”

He said thousands of residents have been returning slowly but surely to their homes and more of the remaining 2,381 evacuated properties as of Monday morning were expected to follow suit, but there is still a lot of fire behind the community. The McDougall Creek Wildfire is measured at 12,635 hectares, meaning little to no growth in recent days.

“This fire will be with us for a while, not in the streets and neighborhoods, but in the hills above. It’s not 100 per cent safe but great process is being made,” Brolund said, noting his fire department is now conducting patrols in the community having been the last to leave the fire line alongside BC Wildfire Service crews.

At least one of the planned control burns will be next to the Smith Creek neighbourhood, which could be allowed to return within days depending on how that goes.

As always, details on changes to evacuation status can be found here.

Temperatures in the 30s for Monday are expected to make way for cooler and possibly some rainy weather for the days following.

Brolund continued to call for patience, repeating that those residents in the hardest hit areas of West Kelowna Estates and Westside Road, where homes have been lost, have seen serious damage to infrastructure.

“In that neighborhood entire systems are having to be removed and rebuilt,” he said. Power poles have burned, lines are on the ground, and transformers have tipped over.”

Danger trees pose added risk and the road surface leading to homes is unsafe.

Resiliency Center

In acknowledging the mental and social impacts of the devastating wildfire, the Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO) has announced the setting up of a Resiliency Centre on Westbank First Nation land by the end of this week.

“Affected residents will be able to seek supports and answers and it will be located near Emergency Support Services,” Sally Ginter the Chief Administrative Officer of the RDCO said.

There has been an upward amendment to 189 from 181 for the total properties across the whole region that have suffered significant damage of full structural loss, Ginter said: three in Lake country, four in Kelowna, 19 in Westbank First Nation, 69 in West Kelowna and 94 in the RDCO West. Lake Okanagan Resort is being labelled one property but with about 150 units impacted.

As matters transition from a firefight to a recovery, Fire Chief Brolund appealed directly to those local residents who want to help going forward by joining his West Kelowna Fire Department or another volunteer group in the community.

“I’m going to be looking for paid on-call firefighters this fall and if you want to be on this team this is your opportunity,” he said.