The City of West Kelowna has put up signage along evacuation routes leading out of the Glenrosa neighbourhood, which residents will be able to use in the event of a wildfire.
The routes go from Glenrosa Road onto either Highway 97C north or 97C south, and onto a number of gravel roads normally used as logging routes.
Fire Chief Jason Brolund says they’re only to be used as a last resort if primary access to the Glenrosa area is cut off.
“The routes are long and winding, and the roads are poorly-maintained, and there’s no cell phone service” says Brolund. “It would be a real challenge for people to have to use that, so we would only use that in the most extreme of circumstances.”
The Glenrosa Wildfire of 2009, which forced the evacuation of thousands of residents, was the main reason for appointing these routes for potential evacuations.
Travelers along the routes are encouraged to exercise caution and patience while driving on them, and have at least a half-tank of fuel when beginning the trip.