B.C. community forced to evacuate due to White Rock Lake wildfire

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – One of B.C.’s largest wildfires has forced the evacuation of an entire community.

Hundreds of people living in Falkland — located between Vernon and Kamloops in the Shuswap region — and nearby were told to flee their homes late Wednesday night after an evacuation alert was upgraded due to the fast-moving White Rock Lake wildfire.

Jayden McInnis, who lives in the Cedar Hills area, tells NEWS 1130 her family, including two kids aged six and four, was told to pack and leave around 10 p.m.

“We were in Vernon visiting family, had to go home, load up our kids, our camper trailer, and leave. They gave us about half an hour notice to evacuate,” she recalled.

McInnis says her landlords live on the same property and that shortly after she and her family left, search and rescue came by.

“Explained what was going on, that we were just being evacuated as a precaution due to high winds today, and they weren’t sure which direction the fire was going, what was going to happen,” she explained Thursday.

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She and her loved ones spent the night in a business parking lot in Vernon, adding they’re now looking for somewhere to park their trailer for the coming days as they await more information.

McInnis admits the whole ordeal has been stressful on everyone.

“This fire’s been a constant battle. We don’t get too many updates on it. I got to thank the Westwold community and the Falkland community for being the only ones who really can give us updates on the fire. We haven’t really been told where exactly it’s burning, which direction it’s going. So we were all kind of in the dark on this fire for the most part,” she said.

McInnis says one of the hardest parts has been trying to explain what’s going on to her young kids. However, she’s hopeful the flames won’t reach her community or home.

“I don’t think it will get that far. But it always crosses my mind,” she told NEWS 1130, adding she’s slightly relieved local fire crews have already been working on plans to protect her property and others nearby in the Cedar Hill area — about 10 kilometres from Falkland itself.

According to the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, the evacuation order was issued just after 8 p.m. for the Falkland and Cedar Hill area.

“It was a difficult evacuation, in terms of the timing. We, early in the afternoon, were not aware that this may happen, and didn’t get the call ourselves until into the evening. So we understand the stress that it’s put on residents to try and evacuate their homes at 9 p.m. last night,” explained Tracy Hughes with the district.

Wind gusts are expected to increase fire activity and challenge suppression efforts along the northeast and east flanks. Public is urged to maintain heightened awareness of the situation over the next 48-hours, and should be prepared for a potential Evacuation Alert or Order.

— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) August 5, 2021

However, she notes these residents have been on evacuation alert for days, meaning many were very prepared when the order was issued.

There are currently no reports of any structures being destroyed or any injuries.

Roughly 1,200 people are covered by the evacuation order.

‘Where’s a safe place to go?’: Frustration mounts for some

While the regional district says the evacuation order was implemented quite smoothly, some people argue they were struggling to find information about what was happening.

Josh Ellis also lives in the Cedar Hill area near Falkland and says it’s been a frustrating couple of days.

“Mass confusion, everybody says one thing and there doesn’t seem to be any direct source to believe,” he told NEWS 1130.

“For evacuation notices and that, it was an alert, alert, alert, some people said ‘Oh it wasn’t supposed to come out until noon.’ One neighbour said they got until noon today after they were told last night to move some horses and stuff. But no one’s come down our driveway,” he said Thursday.

Living with his wife on a ranch, he says they’re now waiting to see how things go, adding they and his seven horses and half a dozen cows will be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

But even information about how to care for his animals isn’t readily available.

“I don’t know what the right answer is. Where do we go with these animals? They say that they’ve got a feed program in place, but then the next person says they’re working on it. I can’t afford a big feed bill,” Ellis said. “And where’s a safe place to go? We’re surrounded by fires so where’s the safest place to ship these animals?”

He says he and his wife were up until about 4 a.m. waiting for someone to come to tell them to leave. But that didn’t happen, so they went to sleep.

“We’re just kind of hunkering down. We’ve got food, we’ve got what we need. We’ve got lots of water and as long as the power stays on I’ll bring the big irrigation out to protect the house,” Ellis explained.

“The one thing we worry about is, where we live, is the mass confusion. You talk to 10 different people and you get 11 different stories. That’s the hardest thing and the most frustrating thing. What do you believe and who do you believe?”

He’s staying hopeful that the fire won’t reach his property. However, if forecast winds push the flames, the situation could change quickly.

Even if officials came to his door to tell him to leave, Ellis says he won’t until he absolutely has to.

IMPORTANT INFO: ONLY FALKLAND IS UNDER EVACUATION ORDER. Please read your ENTIRE Alertable notification. You will see the actual ORDER and ALERT map for the area is included.
If you are Evacuating, please see this Evacuation Routes Map for appropriate routes out of Falkland. pic.twitter.com/Zm3jclzoKZ

— Columbia Shuswap Regional District (@ColShuRegDist) August 5, 2021

Hughes with the Columbia Shuswap Regional District says everyone seems to understand fire situations move quickly. Admitting the push to evacuate was a scramble for many, she says it’s important people follow directives from experts.

“In general, once you’ve left an order area, you are not allowed back in. I know special circumstances can be arranged, but that has to all come through our reception centres. Anything that we can do at this point, you need to contact us at 250.833.3350 and work with us on your specific situation,” she explained.

She notes not all livestock has been removed from the evacuation area, but that work is underway to do so. Hughes adds livestock is being routed to the Armstrong IPE Ground.

“We are also looking at some other alternatives, depending on the need. So if people are in need, if ranchers out there are concerned, they have no place to go, please call 250.833.3350 and we will work with them to try to come up with a plan, she said.

Wind, heat among concerns

The White Rock Lake fire has been burning since last month and is now an estimated 32,500 hectares in size.

It’s one of the more concerning fires burning across B.C. right now, remaining classified as “out of control,” and requiring more than 130 firefighters.

“Structural protection have completed a full assessment from Monte Lake towards the Falkland Corridor via Highway 97, as well as along the Westside Road. Structure protection personnel are prepared to defend Westwold, Falkland, Cedar Hills, Pinaus Lake, and communities along Westside Road, including Okanagan Indian Band IR#1,” explained BC Wildfire Service information officer Hannah Swift on Wednesday.

“That being said, defending structures from wildland fire is not always possible in every situation. Several factors, including risks to firefighters, fire behaviour, and the availability of resources will dictate our ability to successfully defend threatened structures.”

Related video: Rain coming, but not enough for wildfire fight

According to the BC Wildfire Service, visibility has been poor over the past few days. Things did improve on Wednesday, however, wind in the forecast is cause for concern, with gusts expected as early as Thursday afternoon.

Increased fire behaviour is also expected as high temperatures and dry conditions continue.

“Rain from three days ago had very little effect,” Scott Rennick, White Rock Lake incident commander, said Wednesday. “We are watching very closely that there is a low that’s going to be coming in with potentially cooler weather, but also increased wind and no rainfall associated with it.”

He says strategies are being adjusted day by day with weather and conditions in mind.

There are 293 wildfires burning across B.C.

-With files from Claire Fenton