Here is the information disclosed in Sunday mornings EOC media update (August 20, 2023) at 10am.
The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre hosted a live conference at 10 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) to provide an update on the McDougall Creek Wildfire, which is currently estimated at 11,000 hectares and involves three separate fires:
As of 11 a.m. PDT, 10,782 properties throughout the Central Okanagan were on EVACUATION ORDER and 10,759 were on EVACUATION ALERT.
More than 500 active firefighting personnel will be on the ground throughout the region on Sunday, Aug. 20, with support from hundreds of additional personnel working for various other governments and agencies.
Fighting the fire remains emergency first responders’ number one priority. While cooler temperatures and lighter winds helped crews make progress overnight, the wildfires are active and the situation remains fluid.
Structural losses have occurred. The number of structural losses will be announced after confirmation can be achieved through on-the-ground assessments as personnel are able to safety access the fire-affected areas.
View a recording of the conference at https://www.youtube.com/live/0kaDIACQLTM?si=B1HcojT5_zSCbuWP.
The next operational update is currently scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday, August. 21. Watch the live streams at https://www.youtube.com/@regionaldistrict/streams.
Background:
Those on EVACUATION ORDER must register online at https://ess.gov.bc.ca.
Those on EVACUATION ALERT must be ready to leave at a moment’s notice and be prepared to be away for their homes for an extended period of time.
Residents are asked to stay up to date through the CORD emergency site and also subscribe to receive e-updates. Go online to cordermegency.ca.
View the up-to-date evacuation order and alert areas on cordemergency.ca/map.
For more information, contact the information line at 250-469-8490 (local) or 1-877-569-8490 (toll-free).
For municipal and local government information such as boat launch, park and road closures, visit their websites: