181 properties confirmed damaged or destroyed by wildfires in B.C.'s Okanagan
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Latest numbers bring the estimate of properties lost or damaged by Okanagan wildfires to 181.
The Regional District of Central Okanagan has promised a website will be created so people can check property status.
Despite rain in many areas, the Fraser Canyon continues to be dry, as multiple fires threaten communities.
B.C.'s emergency management minister is urging residents to leave evacuation zones and let firefighters work.
Wildfire-related travel restrictions have ended in much of B.C.'s southern Interior except for West Kelowna.
After speaking with evacuees, B.C. Premier David Eby said the province can start looking at recovery and rebuilding efforts.
Learn more about how to find the full list of wildfires, highway closures and evacuation orders and alerts.
An estimated 181 properties have been partially or completely destroyed by wildfire in and around West Kelowna, B.C., officials announced Wednesday, saying residents will soon be able to check the status of their homes online.
Local fire chiefs provided the latest numbers at a news conference Wednesday morning, saying 84 properties have been damaged to some degree in West Kelowna and the Westbank First Nation, while 90 were affected in the North Westside area to the north.
Some of those properties may include multiple structures, such as the Lake Okanagan Resort.
Residents in neighbouring Kelowna were told a day earlier that structures on four properties were lost, while Lake Country saw three homes destroyed.
WATCH: Animals large and small find shelter during B.C. wildfires
Officials from the Regional District of Central Okanagan promised residents will be able to check the status of their homes by entering their addresses into a new portal that will be available on the district's website later Wednesday.
In the meantime, firefighters and local government officials are asking for patience as evacuation orders are gradually lifted in the region. More evacuees are expected to be allowed home on Wednesday.
"I'm still out of my house, as is my family. I'm feeling the same thing you guys are," West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund said.
"I'm running out of underwear too, folks."
Brolund warned the process will be a gradual one. Crews first need to make sure roads and properties are free of hazards, and that returning residents won't interfere with ongoing firefighting efforts. The fire department also wants to ensure flames aren't going to return to evacuated neighbourhoods.
"We want to avoid having to evacuate you again if this incident escalates," he said.
While smoke from wildfires started to clear Tuesday in the Kelowna area, firefighters are still dealing with numerous fires — especially with the threat of lightning strikes. (Justine Boulin/CBC)
Shift in the weather helps fight in some regions
Parts of the Okanagan and several other regions of southern B.C. saw significant rain on Tuesday night, and with cooler temperatures and higher humidity on Wednesday, the change in weather conditions is helping crews get a handle on the more than 370 fires burning across the province.
But not all regions have been so lucky.
"Unfortunately, the rains some parts of British Columbia are seeing didn't come into the Fraser Canyon," Forests Minister Bruce Ralston said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
DON'T MISS: Up to 200 buildings estimated destroyed by Okanagan wildfires, fire chiefs say
That means the 144-square-kilometre Kookipi Creek fire and other fires in the area continue to present major challenges for firefighters.
Residents of numerous areas around the Fraser Canyon community of Lytton — which itself is on evacuation alert — have been ordered to evacuate because of the Kookipi Creek and Stein Mountain fires.
A new evacuation order was issued by the Lytton First Nation on Tuesday night for eight reserves threatened by wildfire.
Officials address distrust, defiance in Shuswap
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District confirmed Tuesday that the aggressive Bush Creek East blaze in the Shuswap region forced the evacuation of 11,000 people and destroyed numerous homes and buildings, including the firehall at Scotch Creek.
As wildfire smoke cleared in the West Kelowna, B.C., area on Tuesday, Aug. 22, residents got a chance to survey some of the damage caused by the McDougall Creek wildfire. (Justine Boulin/CBC)
Some of the area damaged by the fire is within the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, which said Wednesday that structures were damaged or destroyed on 11 properties within the region. However, a full assessment has yet to be completed within neighbouring regions that saw heavier fire damage.
The Shuswap region has seen widespread conflict over whether the province is doing enough to protect homes and bring the destructive wildfires in the region under control.
Some residents have defied evacuation orders, and the B.C. Wildfire Service has reported repeated thefts and removals of its equipment, including sprinklers that have been set up to protect critical infrastructure.
In Wednesday's provincial update, Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma urged everyone in evacuated areas to leave so firefighters can work safely, noting that air crews can't drop water or fire retardant when there are people on the ground.
"If you are under an evacuation order, you must leave immediately. It is the law. You may think that you are helping yourself or your neighbours by staying behind, but you are not. You're making a highly dangerous situation even more dangerous for everyone involved," she said.
Cliff Chapman, operations director for the wildfire service, said negative and conspiracy-minded posts on social media are "absolutely" affecting the mental well-being of crews, but for the most part, the feedback from the public has been "profoundly positive."
Premier promises support
B.C. Premier David Eby visited the Okanagan and Shuswap regions Tuesday, meeting with evacuees and seeing some of the devastation himself in the Kelowna area.
He promised support for people who had to leave their homes, and said federal, local and provincial officials would help begin the process of recovery.
Federal Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan listens to an evacuee at a Kelowna-area evacuation centre on Tuesday. (Justine Boulin/CBC)
The province ended most of its wildfire-related travel restrictions in the southern Interior, save for West Kelowna, with firefighters saying they made good progress on numerous blazes amid favourable weather conditions.
More than 25,000 people remain out of their homes across B.C. due to the wildfires, with thousands of firefighters on the front lines.
First Nation residents describe heartbreak
The Bush Creek East wildfire torched communities like Scotch Creek and parts of the Skwla̓x te Secwe̓pemcu̓lecw reserve over the weekend.
Barney Tomma, a 63-year-old resident who had lived his entire life on the reserve, broke down when he talked about losing his home and his comic collection — which dates back 40 years and has over 34,000 issues.
"I'm too old to start over again," he said, holding back tears. "All my memories ... like, I'm a comic collector. Thirty-four-thousand comics gone. That was my retirement fund.
"So now, I guess I'll retire like everybody else. Make do with what I could get."
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.
Thumbnail image courtesy of Justine Boulin/CBC.
This article was originally written by and published for CBC News. With files from Bethany Lindsay, Jon Hernandez, Randi-Marie Adams and The Canadian Press.
