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Update: The Joe Rich Fire continued to be contained overnight thanks to calm conditions.
Original Story:
The Evacuation Order for the Huckleberry Fire by Kelowna has now been partially lifted.
Effective 8 p.m. Saturday, July 4th, residents in 114 properties can return to their homes. However, the remaining 28 properties still have the Evacuation Order in effect.
Residents fleeing the Joe Rich area because of the wildfire. (Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com)
The properties still under Evacuation Order are:
- 6090 Highway 33
- 6130 Highway 33
- 6210 Highway 33
- 6380 Highway 33
- 6440 Highway 33
- 6446 Highway 33
- 6450 Highway 33
- 6460 Highway 33
- 1733 Huckleberry Road
- 1735 Huckleberry Road
- 1736 Huckleberry Road
- 1737 Huckleberry Road
- 1842 Huckleberry Road
- 1843 Huckleberry Road
- 1848 Huckleberry Road
- 1876 Huckleberry Road
- 1898 Huckleberry Road
- 1935 Huckleberry Road
- 1940 Huckleberry Road
- 1947 Huckleberry Road
- 1955 Huckleberry Road
- 1957 Huckleberry Road
- 1959 Huckleberry Road
- 1960 Huckleberry Road
- 1961 Huckleberry Road
- 1967 Huckleberry Road
- 1969 Huckleberry Road
- 1973 Huckleberry Road
Those homes where the Evacuation Order has been lifted are now on Evacuation Alert, as are the previous properties under Evacuation Alert. Residents of these homes should be prepared to leave on a moment’s notice, should conditions change and the Evacuation Order need to be reinstated or expanded.
Areas in red are under Evacuation Order, while areas in gold are under Evacuation Alert. (Photo Credit: CORD Emergency)
BC Wildfire Service says that the Huckleberry Fire is now 100 per cent contained. Active hotspots continue, however, and there should be heavy smoke in the area for several days. On Saturday afternoon, officials mapped the blaze and determined it to be 55 hectares.
Residents returning to their homes might encounter various hazards on private properties as a result of the fire. Officials also ask that the public stay out of fire-affected areas for their own safety and to obey all warning and hazards signs.
The area of the Evacuation Order is still closed to everyone.
Active fire suppression efforts are continuing, so residents need to stay out of the way of emergency vehicles and crews. Ten structural firefighters from several Central Okanagan fire departments as well as 20 personnel from the BC Wildfire Service will be working throughout the night.
Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com
The Emergency Reception Centre will close Saturday night at 10 p.m. and reopen Sunday at 8:30 a.m. RCMP are staffing roadblocks and conducting security patrols overnight in the Evacuation Area. Highway 33 will remain open to single-lane alternating traffic.
Earlier on Saturday, firefighters reported that no structures had been lost in the fire, despite crews working nearby homes on Huckleberry Road and Highway 33.
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