No new evacuation orders overnight, but thousands still displaced in B.C.’s Okanagan

Evacuation alerts expanded on both sides of Okanagan Lake overnight, but there were no new orders for Kelowna or West Kelowna residents to flee the flames of encroaching wildfires.

Officials scheduled a news conference for 11 a.m. Saturday to provide updates on firefighting operations.

As of Saturday morning, the last new evacuation order issued in the Central Okanagan Regional District was for residents of the Smith Creek subdivision in West Kelowna around 9:20 p.m. Friday.

After that time, several additional evacuation alerts were issued, including for the Shannon Lake area and Smith Creek agricultural area to Powers Creek (Glen Canyon) and the North Glenrosa neighbourhood in West Kelowna, as well as for Kelowna’s Glenmore Highlands.

Thousands of people remained under evacuation orders and thousands more under alerts Saturday. Residents can view the latest evacuation details on the CORD’s interactive map, which is embedded below. A full-screen version can be found here. 

Numerous homes have been lost to the McDougall Creek wildfire since it sparked northwest of West Kelowna on Tuesday. 

Gusting winds that followed a week-long heat wave drove substantial growth in the blaze on Thursday and Friday, sending the flames right up to the shore of Okanagan Lake in some areas.

Additional fires sparked across the lake in the City of Kelowna Thursday night and Friday morning, prompting the evacuations there.

Wildfire officials said Friday that they couldn’t say with certainty whether the McDougall Creek blaze had jumped the lake or the fires on the east side of the lake – including flames threatening homes in the Lake Country area – were separate.

Either way, images from the region capture devastation reminiscent of the 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park fire, which destroyed more than 200 homes and forced 27,000 to evacuate. 

Across B.C., the number of people ordered to flee their homes rose dramatically on Friday – more than tripling from 4,500 to more than 15,000 over just an hour or so – prompting Premier David Eby to declare a province-wide state of emergency.  

This is a developing story. Check back for updates