After a day in which some evacuation orders were lifted, the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre says it does not expect to rescind further orders on Friday evening, Aug. 25, amid active wildfires region-wide.
“Returning residents to their homes is one of our top priorities, and we want to ensure that this is done in the most efficient and timely manner possible,” a statement reads. “Working alongside BC Wildfire Service, we continue to evaluate orders and alerts.”
While the McDougall Creek wildfire remains out of control and more than 12,000 hectares in size, the pair of blazes in Kelowna and Lake Country, respectively, are now considered held.
“Many areas still exist where active firefighting is underway and ongoing dangers like downed power lines, hazardous materials, damaged trees, debris and equipment pose risks.”
READ ALSO: More Lake Country residents heading home as Clarke Creek wildfire is held
The region’s emergency centre said Friday night that property owners who remain on evacuation order in West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation and the Central Okanagan West Electoral Area can now search to see if their property has incurred losses by visiting cordemergency.ca/propertyinfo.
People can view the region’s evacuation order and alert map at cordemergency.ca/map.
More information is expected to be shared at 10 a.m.
The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre does not expect to rescind any evacuation orders in the Central Okanagan this evening.https://t.co/i2LpkFEsZz
— Central Ok Emergency (@CO_Emerg) August 26, 2023
@lgllockhart
logan.lockhart@pentictonwesternnews.com