The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) activated the morning of August 16 for the McDougall Creek Wildfire in the Central Okanagan. The fire began approximately 10 kilometres northwest of West Kelowna escalating rapidly with the largest portion of the fire within the City of West Kelowna. This is the largest wildfire in the history of West Kelowna
From August 16 through today, multiple Evacuation Alerts and Evacuation Orders have been issued by the EOC for areas in West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation, and a portion of the Central Okanagan West Electoral Area. Wildfires and subsequent Evacuation Alerts and Orders have been issued by the EOC in neighbouring municipalities including the City of Kelowna and the District of Lake Country.
The EOC is working in collaboration with other response agencies to manage the McDougall Creek Wildfire and cordemergency.ca remains the central source for all information. We thank everyone working tirelessly in the EOC day and night for their extraordinary efforts regionally and in the City of West Kelowna.
“On behalf of our West Kelowna Council, our hearts go out to each and every member of our community affected by the McDougall Creek Wildfire in West Kelowna,” says Mayor Gord Milsom. “This is an unprecedented and devastating disaster in our City and we thank our community for being calm and resilient during this wildfire crisis. We are heartbroken for those who have experienced devastating property loss, for those who have lost pets and for many others,” says Milsom. “Although there is much more hard work ahead of us, we will recover from this wildfire together with our outstanding residents and the many supports available to help us heal.”
Those who are affected by Evacuation Alerts and orders are strongly advised to pre-register at https://ess.gov.bc.ca/ ahead of time for Emergency Support Services (ESS) should an Evacuation Order be declared. In West Kelowna, ESS has established an Information Centre located at Royal LePage Place, 2760 Cameron Road in West Kelowna. For other ESS locations and the many supports available please visit cordemergency.ca.
To keep the media and public well informed early and often, daily news conferences have been held in addition to the many alerts, orders, posts and media interviews conducted by the EOC and the City of West Kelowna. The City sincerely thanks the media for their reporting and the community who help share information to family, friends and loved ones. You have and will continue to have our team to rely on for accurate and timely information specific to the City of West Kelowna.
The City also sends heartfelt thanks for the overwhelming support of all local-to-international firefighters who are battling the wildfire in the air and on the ground. Over 500 firefighters are working in dangerous conditions with continued structure protection and defense, some of whom have also lost their homes. We send our unwavering support to you and your loved ones as you unselfishly continue to serve and protect others. The risks remain high and the conditions affecting this wildfire battle remain unpredictable.
In addition to the outstanding efforts of the BC Wildfire Service, more than 31 municipalities are operating out of the command centre in West Kelowna so far. We remain so very grateful to all of the exceptional firefighters from these municipalities:
The City also sincerely thanks our local RCMP members and the members arriving from many locations across BC. Together with firefighters, you put yourself in harms way to protect our community and we thank each and every one of you. We also thank the many volunteers at the ESS locations helping evacuees, the community and business donations of food, beverages and non-perishable items and the list goes on and on. Everyone thanks the community for their patience as ESS administers their support program to the thousands of people who need it. We also give our thanks to the significant Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team (ALERT) working alongside ESS for their dedication to animal welfare during this disaster.
Interior Health also continues to support patient care and has an active emergency operations centre. We thank you for safely relocating the over 95 residents from the Brookhaven Care Centre in West Kelowna to other locations in the region, and for the compassion of the staff who continue to provide care and work with resident’s families during these extremely difficult times.
The City sincerely appreciates Honourable Bowinn Ma, BC Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, BC Premier David Eby and Federal Minister Harjit Sajjan, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and PacifiCan for your swift declarations and orders to provide provincial and federal supports for our community. We are better together; we appreciate your phone calls and actions and we thank you for taking action so quickly that will make a difference in West Kelowna. Task Force One arrived this morning comprised of nearly 50 elite specialists (non-military) to help stabilize and operate in disasters using full-scale team deployment in collaboration with our regional resources.
There are countless people and organizations to thank so far so please forgive for not being able to list each one. Community support has been overwhelming and the City of West Kelowna cannot thank everyone enough for the outpouring of kindness and generosity.
Safety Remains Paramount
Stay out of evacuated areas. It is illegal to breach an Evacuation Order.
Stay off Lake Okanagan and allow aircraft to access the water.
Reduce the need to travel on roadways in and through West Kelowna, and stay out of the way of emergency responders.
Encourage friends and family to free up accommodation so locals have a place to stay. West Kelowna is looking forward to welcoming visitors back when our community has settled and it is safe to do so but, until then, please free up accommodations for others in desperate need.
If the EOC has issued an Evacuation Alert in your area, be prepared to leave your home with your loved ones and your belongings in a moments notice.
If the EOC has issued an Evacuation Order in your area, this is the real deal and you MUST evacuate immediately. It is our hope that everyone has adhered to the Orders issued.
Community donations are recommended through not-for-profit organizations, such as the Central Okanagan Food Bank in West Kelowna and Salvation Army, as they have the supports in place to help ESS.
Check in on your friends, family and loved ones to see how they are doing. Even the smallest gesture makes a difference during this extremely difficult road ahead.
Infrastructure in West Kelowna
Water and Sewer
For those in the Rose Valley Water System Area, with the exception of the Sunnyside/Pritchard system, please adhere to the Do Not Consume Order currently in place. Sunnyside/Pritchard water users remain on on a boil water notice.
The City has implemented Stage 4 water restrictions until further notice, which means no outdoor use is permitted. Water is desperately needed for firefighters during these extreme drought conditions.
So far, the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant and the Powers Creek Water Treatment Plant have no damage from the wildfire.
If damage has occurred to the City’s sewer system in heavily affected wildfire areas, a restoration plan will soon be in place and services repaired when safe to do so.
Until further notice, please contact cordemergency.ca.
Third-Party Power and Cable Services
Temporary loss of power has occurred in some areas and it may take some time to restore power due to unsafe conditions and compromised infrastructure. Until further notice, please contact cordemergency.ca or your service provider.
Various cable and cellular services may be affected in local areas, which will be repaired by the utility owner (e.g. tv, satellite, cellular conduit). Until further notice, please contact cordemergency.ca or your service provider.
Roads
Roads where construction was occurring in West Kelowna have been re-opened (such as on Shannon Lake Road, Westlake Road and Boucherie). Please use caution when driving through construction zones.
Temporary road closures have been implemented under the direction of the RCMP and the public should expect them to change. Please adhere to these closures and report any suspicious behaviour to 9-1-1 immediately. The RCMP also continue to conduct safety checks throughout the city.
Several locked emergency road access gates were unlocked by the City and will remain unlocked until further notice.
Return and Recovery
As Chief Jason Brolund has mentioned in daily news conferences and interviews, the EOC is not in the return and recovery phase. The wildfire is still very active and everyone is grateful to the community for their patience. Please access information through cordemergency.ca.
Ramping Up City Information
As the wildfire become less aggressive and areas can be examined to determine the extent of the damage in West Kelowna, the City will work in conjunction with the EOC to keep our community informed about the impacts specific to West Kelowna. Issuing West Kelowna-specific advisories will occur in phases as part of the wildfire recovery process and more information will be provided in the days ahead.