Wildfire Still Rampaging Through West Kelowna

The McDougall Creek wildfire burns on the mountainside above lakefront homes in West Kelowna, B.C., on Aug. 18, 2023. Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press

The fight against B.C.’s wildfires continued Saturday with a focus on central Okanagan, where flames blazed through West Kelowna suburbs and forced the evacuation of neighbouring Kelowna’s University of B.C. campus.

The Interior is the epicentre of a battle against hundreds of fires across the province that prompted Premier David Eby to declare a provincewide state of emergency on the evening of Aug. 18 that forced the evacuation of about 15,000 people late that night.

The province had declared a state of emergency in Kelowna, a city of some 150,000 residents, around midnight of Aug. 18. Prior to that on Aug. 17, an emergency was also declared in West Kelowna, a city with a population of about 36,000.

Officials expanded the order in response to the “worst fire season” that ever occurred in the province, according to Mr. Eby.

“This year, we are facing the worst wildfire season ever in British Columbia,” he said in a statement, when declaring the provincial state of emergency. “Over the past 24 hours, the situation has evolved rapidly and we are in for an extremely challenging situation in the days ahead.”

The premier urged residents to listen to local officials and follow evacuation orders should they get one.

‘Avoid Non-Essential Travel’

A series of new evacuation orders were issued by Kelowna and the Westbank First Nation on Aug. 18 night, in addition to alerts warning residents to be ready to leave at short notice.

Fires deemed out of control are now burning on both sides of Lake Okanagan, including the devastating McDougall Creek fire that the BC Wildfire Service says covers 105 square kilometres.

Numerous homes and other properties, including the historic Lake Okanagan Resort, were destroyed by the flames. Meanwhile, a fire in the Lytton area has forced the evacuations of numerous properties, including the closure of the Trans-Canada Highway, while the Downton Creek fire in the Gun Lake area near Lillooet destroyed homes, according to the BC Wildfire Service.

Residents of the southern Interior Shuswap area were also issued evacuation orders Friday night due to the threats posed by the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire and the Bush Creek fire.

The wildfire service says the lightning-triggered Lower East Adams fire on the east side of the lake has grown to 100 square kilometres, while the Bush Creek Fire to the west is now 33 square kilometres.

At a press conference on Aug. 18, West Kelowna fire Chief Jason Brolund told reporters that the battle against the wildfire was like “100 years of firefighting.”

Not every resident cooperated, according to Mr. Brolund, as some first responders were trapped while rescuing people who refused to leave their properties despite being under evacuation orders. He described the development as a firefighter’s “worst nightmare.”

Mr. Eby said his government’s decision to declare a provincial state of emergency is to “ensure we are in a position to rapidly access any tools we need to support communities as the situation evolves.”

The premier said residents should avoid nonessential travel to affected areas to ensure roads are clear for emergency crews to “do their jobs.”

“A provincial state of emergency allows the Province to enact emergency orders,” he said. “Emergency orders could include travel restrictions to specific areas if people do not respect our calls to avoid non-essential travel to the central Interior and southeastern B.C.”

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.