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**Coverage of the Kelowna wildfires is continuing at this link on Friday.**
(UPDATE: Aug. 18 @ 2:15 am) - The evacuation order for the Clifton and McKinley wildfires in Kelowna has been expanded.
Central Okanagan Emergency Operations (CORD) is now asking all residents surrounding Hidden Lake and Still Pond to evacuate.
This area includes:
- Begbie Rd (excluding 2050, 2080, 2130 and 2150)
- Big Rock Crt
- Hidden Hills Dr
- Hidden Lake Pl
- Hidden Ridge Pl
- Long Ridge Crt
- Long Ridge Dr
- Still Pond Lane
- Still Pond Pl
- Twin Ridge Crt
- Union Rd
Evacuees should register online here, and they’re encouraged to find temporary lodging with family and friends.
An overnight shelter centre has opened at Prospera Place, at 1223 Water Street in Kelowna, for evacuees requiring a place to go overnight. Small pets caged or leashed are permitted.
All reception centres in West Kelowna, Kelowna and Vernon have closed for the evening, but Emergency Support Services (ESS) will be available to evacuees in the morning to assist with registrations.
Residents can determine if they are affected through this interactive map.
All other properties on evacuation alert and order in the Central Okanagan remain in place.
Residents under evacuation alert are advised to be ready to leave their home at a moment’s notice. They should prepare to be away from their home for an extended period of time, make arrangements for pets and pack essential items such as medicines and important documents.
Those on evacuation alert pre-register here for ESS, should an evacuation order be declared.
(UPDATE: Aug. 18 @ 12:15 am) - Shortly after midnight, Central Okanagan Emergency Operations (CORD) issued official an evacuation order and alert for the Clifton and McKinley wildfires in Kelowna.
The City of Kelowna has also issued a local state of emergency.
"Residents in the in the Clifton Road North and McKinley Neighbourhoods are asked to evacuate," CORD requested. "Residents along the west side of Glenmore Road from McKinley Beach to John Hindle Road have been put on evacuation alert."
View of the fire in the Wilden area #bcwildfire #kelowna pic.twitter.com/DxogSjRtUz
— KelownaNow (@KelownaNow) August 18, 2023
CORD is asking all properties north of and including Sheerwater Court, up to and including 2105 McKinley Rd., to evacuate. That includes:
- Arthur Court
- Arthur Road
- Bennett Road
- Clifton Court
- Clifton Lane
- Clifton Road
- Clifton Road North
- Dewdney Road
- Dubbin Road
- Kyndree Court
- Lochview Road
- Lynn Court
- McKinley Road
- Paly Road
- Prince Edward Drive
- Sheerwater Court
- Tina Court
"Due to unpredictable fire behaviour, it is critical that all residents evacuate for their safety and the safety of first responders in the area," CORD said.
Evacuees should register online at this link. They're encouraged to find temporary lodging with family and friends, or visit a reception centre. The Salvation Army at 1480 Sutherland Ave. is available for that purpose.
The Vernon ESS Reception Centre has also been opened to accommodate evacuees from Kelowna. It's located at Kal Tire Place at 3445 43rd Ave and will be open until 2 am before reopening at 9 am.
"Hotel accommodations in Vernon are extremely limited," the City of Vernon noted in a release. "Evacuees are strongly encouraged to reach out to family or friends for assistance as a primary option."
(UPDATE: Aug. 17 @ 11:45 pm) - Central Okanagan Emergency Operations has now confirmed that tactical evacuations are underway in the Clifton and McKinley Landing areas.
"Crews are on scene doing tactical evacuations," CORD wrote in a quick update. "More information coming..."
There has been no mention of those evacuations expanding to Glenmore, although the fire has crested the hill and is moving towards the area of Glenmore and Union.
(UPDATE: Aug. 17 @ 11:40 pm) - The BC Wildfire Service is now reporting two fires on the Kelowna side of the lake.
One is the main fire that has climbed the hill in the North Clifton area and is spreading east into Glenmore. The other appears to be just north of McKinley Landing.
Hundreds of residents are leaving their homes in the Clifton and Glenmore area and some have reported that police have told them to go, while others didn't need the extra push.
"We are on Red Rock Court and had the police knock on our door with an evacuation order," one person wrote on a community Facebook group.
Photos show the fire threatening homes along Clifton and spreading into North Glenmore near Union Road and North Glenmore Elementary.
Other evacuations are reportedly in progress where the second fire is, closer to Lake Country, but KelownaNow has heard less about those at this time.
We will continue to update this story as information becomes available. If you are in the fire area and can provide information on evacuations and procedures, please email news@kelownanow.com.
(UPDATE: Aug. 17 @ 11:15 pm) - Central Okanagan Emergency Operations (CORD) has briefly addressed the wildfire in the North Clifton area on Twitter.
"We are aware of spot fires in the Clifton Road North area," a tweet from CORD said. "Crews are responding to the area."
However, it appears to be far more than just a spot fire, or fires, already, and the main section of flames has grown significant in the hours-plus since they were first noticed.
The Okanagan Fire Scanner Twitter account reports that the fire was already 10 hectares in size as of 10:30 pm and "climbing the hill fast."
A KelownaNow reporter in the area said fire trucks just went to Poplar Point with sirens blaring and no one is being allowed into the area.
Other witness reports provided to KelownaNow claim that people are already being evacuated and several houses are threatened, if not already affected by the fire.
However, officials for the most part have barely said a word on the fire and the BC Wildfire Service has not provided any information beyond an initial recognition of the fire shortly before 10 pm, saying it was 0.009 hectares in size.
KelownaNow's calls to the BCWS Kamloops Fire Centre have not been answered.
(UPDATE: Aug. 17 @ 10:40 pm) - A new fire in the North Clifton area appears to be growing rapidly and already threatening homes.
Witnesses have told KelownaNow that officials are already blocking traffic to the area and the evacuation of homes "will likely be next."
Photos, which are corroborated by eyewitness reports, show that the flames are several feet high.
"Multiple cops and one fire truck came through," said one man.
"There were some major flames I saw on the Kelowna side," another woman told KelownaNow. "It looked like a house."
Residents in North Glenmore sent in footage that show the fire has already crested the hill from the west.
So far, there has been no word on this fire from officials.
KelownaNow has multiple reporters heading into the field and will update this story as information becomes available.
The McDougall Creek wildfire has potentially jumped the lake as a new and fast-spreading wildfire has sparked in the North Clifton area near Knox Mountain. This video taken from North Glenmore shows flames quickly cresting the hill. #BCWildfire #Kelowna pic.twitter.com/BxZFPPG3ce
— KelownaNow (@KelownaNow) August 18, 2023
(Original story: Aug. 17 @ 10:10 pm) - As the McDougall Creek wildfire burns out of control in West Kelowna, crews are now responding to a fire in the Wilden area.
The fire is located in the Magic Estates or Wilden area, around Rio Drive, and it has already appeared on the BC Wildfire Service dashboard.
It's unknown at this time whether the McDougall Creek wildfire jumped the lake or if this is a new fire start.
More to come...
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