Some West Kelowna residents will be able to visit destroyed homes by bus

Some residents who have lost their homes to the McDougall Creek wildfire in the West Kelowna area will soon be offered tours of their neighbourhoods by bus visits.

Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre spokesperson Adrian Nieoczym says the visits are only being offered to those residents whose homes have been completely destroyed or have become uninhabitable.

“The owners are being contacted directly to be given that sort of the details on the date and times of the visit to their area and those residents are given the opportunity to either accept or not accept,” he explained.

“Access is still restricted with hazards so not all properties can be viewable from the bus visit.”

Nieoczym says the idea is to provide residents the chance to see their properties in a private setting, given the emotional nature of the visit.

“The purpose of these visits is to give these residents some space, some time, and some privacy to be some of the first people to see their properties so that they can sort of start the process of dealing with that,” he said. “We’re wanting to do this in a way that’s very respectful for those residents.”

An estimated 198 properties have been destroyed in the McDougall Creek fire, which remains classified as active and out of control.


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Data from the BC Wildfire Service shows that the blaze is estimated as being 13,712 hectares in size. It was first discovered on Aug. 15, but it quickly became one of the more destructive wildfires in the province when it rapidly grew and began to threaten West Kelowna on August 17.

The BC Wildfire Service notes that the McDougall Creek fire has seen some growth as of late due to an increase in winds.

B.C. extended its state of emergency another two weeks on Thursday as its record-breaking wildfire season rages on.

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