Trudeau says Canada needs to prepare for more intense wildfire seasons during B.C. visit
Officials say 131 structures destroyed, 37 damaged in Shuswap wildfires
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The latest on the wildfires:
- Approximately 131 structures were destroyed and 37 were damaged by the Bush Creek East wildfire, according to officials from the Columbia Shuswap Regional District.
- Highway 1 between Chase and Sorrento in the Shuswap region reopened Friday morning after a week-long closure.
- An evacuation order 840 properties in Sorrento was lifted Friday, and was downgraded to an evacuation alert.
- All remaining evacuation orders in the City of Kelowna and more in West Kelowna and Lake Country were lifted Thursday, allowing some residents to begin returning home.
- The province ended travel restrictions to West Kelowna at midnight Thursday.
- All evacuation orders from the Upper Park Rill Creek wildfire, northeast of Keremeos, were downgraded to evacuation alerts Thursday evening, affecting 96 properties.
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with local leaders in Kelowna Friday morning.
- Weather has been favourable to firefighting efforts, but temperatures are expected to rise toward the weekend and the area around Lytton — where two wildfires have triggered evacuation orders — remains dry.
- Officials say there is no timeline in place yet for when 11,000 people in the Shuswap area can return home following the devastating Bush Creek East wildfire.
- 181 properties have been confirmed destroyed or damaged in the Kelowna area, and evacuees can check if theirs is safe through an online portal.
- Learn more about how to find the full list of wildfires, highway closures and evacuation orders and alerts.
Justin Trudeau said Canada needs to prepare for more intense wildfire seasons during a stop in B.C. Okanagan region Friday morning.
The prime minister was in West Kelowna Friday meeting with local leaders, First Nations, volunteers and some of the thousands of people who were forced from their homes by a raging wildfire one week ago.
"We are facing a changing world right now," Trudeau said Friday from a West Kelowna fire hall. "People are scared, and there's lots of reasons to be scared."
He also praised the way municipal and provincial firefighting crews worked together to respond to blazes in Kelowna, West Kelowna, Lake Country and other regions in B.C.'s Interior over the past week, with different departments sharing resources and crews.
"I think there's a lot to learn," he said. "What we're seeing across the country is first responders stepping up in incredible ways. Anything residents and communities can do to facilitate the work that firefighters are doing ... is really, really important."
Trudeau did not announce any new federal spending or initiatives to help communities prepare for future fires, instead focusing on speaking about the work already being done in B.C.
But as he spoke, emergency preparedness minister Harjit Sajjan announced on X, formerly Twitter, that the federal government has approved an additional request from the B.C. government for members of the Canadian armed forces to support firefighting operations.
A handful of detractors yelled at Trudeau as he arrived, while supporters — including some who are still out of their homes — said it was meaningful to have the prime minister come visit them.
131 structures destroyed in Shuswap
The visit comes as residents of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District learned about the extent of the damage caused by the Bush Creek East Fire.
On Friday afternoon, officials from the region announced that 131 structures were destroyed, and another 37 were partially damaged. However, they stressed that those numbers are approximate, and some areas affected by the fire are still too dangerous for crews to enter and survey.
Rainy conditions have helped curb fires and allowed residents and visitors to return to some evacuated areas of B.C.
But dry weather is expected to increase fire activity again in the Interior.
The provincial government lifted travel restrictions in West Kelowna that prevented travellers from booking hotels or coming to the community.
Local governments and First Nations were able to find the hotel space they needed for those evacuated by the 123-square-kilometre McDougall Creek wildfire that is burning out of control nearby, according to B.C.'s emergency management minister Bowinn Ma.
"Given the evolving situation and the accommodation we've secured, we are now lifting the travel restriction to West Kelowna," Ma said in a Thursday news release.
Some flights also began to arrive and depart from Kelowna International Airport once again, after the airport closed its airspace to commercial aircraft on Aug. 18. The airport is expected to fully re-open over the weekend.
Brad Litke with the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) also said weather has been favourable to firefighting efforts, but temperatures are expected to rise toward the weekend, and crews are expecting to see a rise in fire activity in the Grouse Complex wildfires, particularly the McDougall Creek wildfire.
Litke said crews are working on a planned ignition by the Shannon Lake Golf Course in West Kelowna to "address the pockets of unburned fuel on the steep slopes that could challenge containment ... when fire behaviour conditions are expected to increase in the coming days."
An ignition operation might also take place above the Smith Creek drainage, Litke said.
Homecomings begin
All remaining evacuation orders in the City of Kelowna were lifted on Thursday.
Litke said Thursday that both the Clifton/McKinley fire in Kelowna and the Clark Creek wildfire in Lake Country to the north are now classified as being held, which means they are not likely to spread beyond predetermined boundaries under current conditions.
Whiting urged residents to go to the Central Okanagan Emergency Operation online portal, where it will be announced when neighbourhoods will be safe to return to.
At least 181 properties have been damaged or destroyed by the Grouse complex of fires in the Kelowna area, with more assessments underway.
In Keremeos, about a 90 minute drive south of Kelowna, an evacuation order affecting 96 properties as a result of the Upper Park Rill Creek wildfire was downgraded to an evacuation alert Thursday evening. Just over 500 properties are still on alert.
Tension, uncertainty in Shuswap
An increase in fire activity is also expected in the Shuswap region, where more than 11,000 people remain on evacuation order because of the Bush Creek East fire.
The 410-square-kilometre fire is out of control and considered the province's top priority, according to BCWS fire information officer Forrest Tower.
There is currently no timeline for when evacuees may be able to return to their homes, as local emergency officials continue to assess the damage.
The uncertainty has led to frustration among some community members, several of whom attempted to bypass an RCMP blockade on the Trans-Canada Highway near Sorrento, B.C., on Wednesday evening.
But on Friday, evacuation orders were lifted for about 840 properties in Sorrento, and were downgraded to evacuation alerts.
After a week-long closure due to the Bush Creek East wildfire, Highway 1 between Chase and Sorrento also reopened Friday morning.
BCWS temporarily withdrew crews that afternoon and RCMP added more officers as a result.
Local emergency officials stressed that evacuation orders are in place due to dangerous conditions, and that it takes time to ensure areas are safe once the fire has receded.
READ MORE:
- Protesters tried to bypass an RCMP blockade on the Trans-Canada Highway in the Shuswap region.
- An "incredibly rare" fire tornado was caught on video in the Pemberton area.
- A large pig miraculously survived after a ranch was levelled by a wildfire in West Kelowna.
- The 73-year-old Okanagan Anglican Camp was destroyed in a blaze.
- A young person has been arrested after more than $10,000 of firefighting equipment was stolen.
- Popkum, B.C.'s fire chief, became a Canadian citizen while on the frontlines of a wildfire.
- Wildfires left many migrant workers in dangerous conditions across B.C., according to advocates.
Anyone placed under an evacuation order should leave the area immediately.
Evacuation centres have been set up throughout the province to assist anyone evacuating from a community under threat from a wildfire.
To find the centre closest to you, visit the EmergencyInfoBC website.
Evacuees are encouraged to register with Emergency Support Services online, whether or not they access services at an evacuation centre.
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If you've been affected by the B.C. wildfires and want to share your story, email cbcnewsvancouver@cbc.ca.
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