It’s been a terrifying night so far for West Kelowna and Kelowna residents as fire crews continue to battle the McDougall Creek wildfire.
The fire started moving down towards Westside Road this evening, spreading north rapidly on the west side of Okanagan Lake. All of Rose Valley and West Kelowna Estates residents were told to leave immediately.
Video confirms that structures were taken out by the blaze in the Traders Cove area.
Structure on fire in Traders Cove area.#BCWildfire #Kelowna pic.twitter.com/asjkdDy8gX
— KelownaNow (@KelownaNow) August 18, 2023
KelownaNow has received reports of people having to flee into Okanagan Lake, as the only exits were closed off to them by fire.
Chris Neumann, a coordinator for BC emergency livestock management, told KelownaNow that he fielded a request for help after the fire closed the road leading into Trader’s Cover and Bear Creek.
“At that point, the people that were left there were only left with the water as an exit route,” he said.
— KelownaNow (@KelownaNow) August 18, 2023
Boats were being sought to get people out of the water and to safety.
Information is somewhat sparse at this time, as it is a quickly evolving situation. For the latest info on West Kelowna evacuations, click here.
Two new starts have also been reported in Kelowna tonight, with a tactical evacuation underway. A state of emergency has been declared in the City of Kelowna. Residents in the in the Clifton Road North and McKinley Neighbourhoods are asked to evacuate. Residents along the west side of Glenmore Road from McKinley Beach to John Hindle Road have been put on Evacuation Alert.
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