Fire Update August 19 @ 1300 hrs
Members, the fire situation continues to evolve. Currently, there are no Evacuation Alerts and no Evacuation Orders for OKIB reserve lands.
Water bomber skimmers are currently dropping water on the fire in Lake Country.
OKIB Field Crews are out on the reserve today monitoring the situation to provide real time reports. OKIB Fire Department is travelling throughout the reserves on scheduled training for new recruits, and to provide real-time information to the EOC.
Today we are asking members who live at Duck Lake to contact our EOC and provide contact information for yourself and your relatives who live there. Call 250-309-2458 to register. The number will be on our website. This is a precautionary measure, so that we can reach out to you if necessary.
Mental Health and Wellness supports are available for members who would like to talk to a counsellor. Call the OKIB Mental Wellness intake and referral line at 250-241-4741. More information is available on our website at https://okib.ca/news/call-if-you-need-to-talk
A provincial state of emergency was declared last evening. OKIB Council had already declared a local state of emergency yesterday morning. A state of emergency gives emergency management personnel authority to draw on resources as required.
Should you need to prepare for an Evacuation Alert or Evacuation Order, you should gather your emergency kit and your grab-and-go-bag. Information on items to include is available here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-management/preparedbc/build-an-emergency-kit-and-grab-and-go-bag
An Evacuation Alert is issued to ensure people are aware that at some point in the future they may be asked to evacuate. The next level is an Evacuation Order, which is an official notice that people must evacuate.
Lake Country Fire
Information about the Lake Country fire can be found on the CORD Emergency website at https://cordemergency.ca
As reported yesterday, Central Okanagan Emergency Operations has issued Evacuation orders and evacuation alerts for an area west of Highway 97. The expanded alert and orders do not apply to any reserve lands at this time. It is important to note that for Duck Lake IR#7, Central Okanagan Emergency Management would be issuing evacuation alerts and/or orders.
McDougall Creek Fire in West Kelowna
Information about the McDougall Creek fire can be found on the CORD Emergency website at https://cordemergency.ca
Overnight on the McDougall fire, there were 12 helicopters, 60 personnel, 119
structural personnel, 67 RCMP officers, plus BCWF firefighters with more on the way more on the way. Danger trees in the area continue to be a hazard. There was little overnight growth; however, the fire is burning at Rank 1 and 2. There are 41 fire apparatus plus 17 more structural assets on the fire. Additional firefighting resources will be arriving today.
OKIB staff are in touch with Central Okanagan Regional District (CORD) on a regular basis to receive updates.
More information
Please follow these links for additional information on all fires.
- BC Wildfire: https://wildfiresituation.nrs.gov.bc.ca/map
- View a map of the Evacuation Alerts and Evacuation Orders: https://www.cordemergency.ca/map
OKIB will provide updates on the fire daily at approximately 1100 hrs and 1700 hrs following our briefings with BC Wildfire Service; and at other times throughout the day whenever updated information is available.
Please relay this information to your family and friends who may not be on social media.
