Update: 11:25 a.m., Aug. 20
There will be no changes Sunday to evacuation orders in the City of West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation or North Westside.
West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund says crews were finally able to make some progress Saturday on the McDougall Creek wildfire, he is feeling optimistic heading into Sunday.
“We're now four days in. It feels like months, but things are looking better,” Brolund said at a Sunday morning news conference.
There have not been any additional homes lost in the past 24 hours.
But the mammoth task ahead of firefighters means it is simply not safe for evacuees to return home yet.
“There are a million points of fire still out there across our community. So we're gonna need some time, and it's going to take an extraordinary effort to deal with that,” Brolund said.
He said crews are now finally able to undertake “regular firefighting” thanks to more favourable conditions.
“We're dealing with things like we're used to seeing. However, we are dealing with them on an epic scale.”
There are close to 500 firefighters on the ground Sunday dealing with the fire.
Teams are now out in the neighbourhoods conducting damage assessments and creating an inventory of properties that have been lost or damaged. That information will be shared with owners are quickly as possible.
“That is going to be a very difficult process both logistically and emotionally.”
While search operations will take place, there are no reports of missing persons.
“Some of you have lost your homes, there's no question about that. But most of you have survived. There are lots of backyards where the fire has come right to your patio and it's been stopped there because of the work of the 500 people that are on the ground fighting it,” Brolund said.
He said evacuation orders will be lifted in a phased manner as neighbourhoods are made safe and power is restored. Brolund asked for patience from evacuees in dealing with ESS, as there is a long queue that volunteers are working through.
“I'll share with the public that my family is in the same line that you are and we are standing there with you to complete that registration process.”
Jerrad Schroeder with the BC Wildfire Service echoed Brolund’s sentiments about finally making progress on the fire.
“Reports back have all been positive, some real wins were made yesterday as well in that we were able to get a good foothold on establishing some control lines with the utilization of heavy equipment,” Schroeder said.
“What that also means is that in the overnight period crews are able to work off of those control lines and begin the process of establishing black line… and get that real firefighting effort started.”
Schroeder says he is hoping the thick smoke choking the region lifts enough to allow air support to get back into the sky. That smoke, however, also keeps the sun’s heat at bay.
The McDougall Creek fire is still estimated at 11,000 hectares, although it is likely larger. The figure is an estimate due to smoke impacting visibility and resources being focused on protecting homes.
Schroeder said he expects the next 24 to 36 hours to bring favourable conditions for crews
Original: 9:30 a.m., Aug. 20
It was a much calmer night on the fire lines in the Central Okanagan as the wind stayed calm and the emergency operations centre stayed quiet.
There were no overnight evacuation alerts or orders, following a Saturday where only a single evacuation alert — in the Lake Country area — was issued.
The wind that caused such rapid fire growth overnight Thursday and through Friday dropped significantly Saturday, and fire behaviour calmed across the region. Jerrad Schroeder with BCWS called Saturday a "good firefighting day," relative to the terrible conditions the day before.
By Sunday morning, thick smoke lay over the Central Okanagan, as the winds remain calm in the area.
The smoke, which is the thickest it has been in recent days, makes it difficult to get eyes on the wildfires burning in West Kelowna, Kelowna and Lake Country. But the calmer winds, which were also seen Saturday, have slowed the fires' growth and given fire crews a chance to regroup after the rapid fire growth seen Thursday night and Friday.
Environment Canada is forecasting an increase in wind speeds Sunday, calling for northwest winds of 20 km/h, gusting to 40 km/h in the Kelowna area.
More than 10,000 properties remain evacuated in the Central Okanagan, but there have been no new evacuation orders issued on the three fires since Friday evening.
Officials have confirmed all three fires in the area have destroyed homes, with the majority coming from the McDougall Creek fire in West Kelowna. But the number of burned homes remains unclear.
Central Okanagan Emergency Operations will be hosting a press conference at 10 a.m. this morning to provide an update on the firefights. Updates will be provided here.
More to come...
