More Than a Dozen Structures Believed to Be Lost in Recent Wildfires

The structural losses are still being counted in the wildfires around Oliver and Rock Creek, but they do seem to be in the double digits.

Smoke billowing near Oliver. (Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com)

Chris Duffy, acting assistant deputy minister of Emergency Management BC, said that the structural losses are “fairly significant” in Rock Creek, though the numbers are still being verified and owners are being notified. He said that there were more than a dozen structures lost in this area, but cautioned that numbers still need to be confirmed.

As for the wildfires near Oliver, assessments are ongoing. However, Chief Fire Information Officer Kevin Skrepnek said it was confirmed that there were multiple structures lost between the two fires. Previously, the regional district confirmed that there was one house burned in the area.

A helicopter working on the Wilson's Mountain fire north of Oliver. (Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com)

The Testalinden Creek fire south of Oliver is now estimated at 1,566 hectares from 1,300 at about 9 a.m. Saturday morning. Similarly, the Wilson’s Mountain fire north of Oliver has grown from 200 hectares to 317 hectares.

Vineyard owners have spoken to KelownaNow at the scene of the fire, saying that it was the first time they’d been so close to a wildfire before and that they had some worries about the harvest. Others living nearby saw the first flames flare up and shoot south and are now ready to go in case they get evacuated as well.

Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com

Vacationers Hardeep Parwana and Shairoz Kara are in the South Okanagan from Burnaby, and they actually drove out by Black Hills Winery on Friday night and saw the mountain burning. The two called it amazing, but surreal. “It was heart-wrenching because you could see how close to people it was,” said Kara. She went on to say that there was a sadness to see how people were impacted by the blaze and to actually watch it in action, smelling the smoke and hearing her boys coughing.

“You watch stuff on the news and it’s between you and the television,” explained Parwana. “When you actually see it, you see the impact on other people. I think it does breed a certain kind of awareness.”

Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com

B.C. saw a total of 67 new fires sparked on Friday, most of which were caused by the lightning activity across the province. There have been no reported injuries or fatalities for any of these fires. B.C. has about 831 registered evacuees, with about 500 registered in Midway, 116 in Kelowna, and about 200 in Oliver. The Regional District of the Okanagan-Similkameen reported that 360 homes were evacuated Friday night.

The province has had 1587 wildfires since April, burning an estimated 288,000 hectares and costing the province just over $199 million.

Helicopter bucketing on the fire south of Oliver. (Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com)