Nearly 200 structures destroyed by Okanagan wildfires: officials

As crews continue to battle massive wildfires in West Kelowna and Kelowna, officials say it feels like they’re “turning a corner,” with some evacuations downgraded and progress still being made.

This is despite the loss of nearly 200 structures overall due to Okanagan wildfires, according to an update provided Tuesday morning.

West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund says in West Kelowna and Westbank First Nation, the total number of partial and full structural losses is estimated to be fewer than 90. That’s in addition to around 100 losses in other parts of the regional district.

“I know lots of you are tired — you’re tired of being out of your homes, you’re tired of the situation that we’re in, and so are we. But we’re not stopping, we’re not giving up, and nor should you,” Brolund said in Tuesday’s briefing.

He says fewer than 70 structures in West Kelowna have been destroyed, while ewer than 20 on Westbank First Nation lands have been affected.

While Brolund understands the devastation that comes with the loss of many of these homes, he says thousands of properties have been saved.

“That’s over 3,000 that weren’t affected in our area of operations,” he added.

As of Tuesday morning, the McDougall Creek fire was an estimated 12,000 hectares.

“I have to say, I really am beginning to feel like we’re turning the corner here on this fire,” Brolund said. “A major measure of that was the rescinding of some evacuation orders that were rescinded to alerts yesterday. It was small, but it was a good small step.”

Brolund says he’s not aware of any missing persons and a specialized search of wildfire-stricken areas suggests no one has died in the blazes.

“Numerous individuals have been working hard with the data that’s been collected. They’ve pursued investigative techniques and done their best to identify potential sites that may need to be searched for people who didn’t make it out of the fire. Canada Task Force One, with that information in hand and target sites identified, used specialized dogs to deploy to those target sites and searched,” he explained.

“To the best of our knowledge at this time, there has been no loss of life and there are no missing persons outstanding from the fire.” 

While officials say no one has been reported missing, they are encouraging people to reach out to the RCMP to make a report.

According to the BC Wildfire Service, lighter winds are expected in the Grouse Complex — which includes the McDougall Creek fire — Tuesday. However, there is also a risk of thunderstorms in the area of the complex.

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“With thunderstorms comes wind but there may come a small amount of rain associated with that, which would be helpful,” Brad Litke, the BC Wildfire Service incident commander for the Grouse Complex, said during the Tuesday briefing. “Cooler temperatures today and higher relative humidity should provide for more stability and lower fire behaviour observed today on the fire grounds.”

When it comes to the McDougall Creek fire specifically, the BC Wildfire Service notes thick smoke continues to create challenges when it comes to getting an accurate size estimate. However, the service says a more accurate size is expected to be determined in the days to come.

“We’re making progress. Things are getting better. We’re going to get this thing across the finish line.”