Kelowna fire officials don't need volunteers, donations

Officials working to combat two raging wildfires in the Okanagan gently pleaded with the public on Sunday to help them — by doing nothing.

Officials from several agencies who are in Kelowna, B.C., to help fight the fires told a news conference they are grateful for the public outpouring of support, but stressed they do not need help fighting fires from volunteers.

Beryl Itani, the director of emergency social services for the Regional District of Central Okanagan , also said officials appreciate the donations they've received so far, but urged the public not to send any more.

"We would like to, at this time, request that no donations of food or clothing, no more blankets, no more pillows, no more mattresses. We have lots," she said.

Dr. Paul Hasselbeck with the Interior Health Authority said the most important thing people can do is keep themselves healthy.

"[In] those areas that have had power outages, food is becoming perishable. If in doubt, throw it out. The last thing that we need are people coming down with food poisoning," he said.

Anyone looking for information is asked to call 778-797-2269. Three phone lines are in place to assist in answering those inquiries.