Structure losses in West Kelowna to McDougall Creek wildfire

Emergency officials have confirmed an unknown number of structure losses in West Kelowna overnight, even as the fire jumped Okanagan Lake to threaten parts of Kelowna.

Central Okanagan Emergency Operations can't yet say how many homes or structures impacted but expects to update the public at 10 a.m. after an assessment. Strong winds overnight did what officials feared and pushed the fire into several West Kelowna neighbourhoods including Rose Valley and to Regional District areas to the east by Okanagan Lake — and into Kelowna. 

So far, 2,462 properties have been evacuated and another 4,801 properties remain under evacuation alert in West Kelowna.

Overnight, officials added evacuation order to Clifton Road and McKinley Neighbourhoods in Kelowna.

An emergency reception centre has been set up at Prospera Place and Vernon has also set up a reception centre for evacuees from West Kelowna and Westside Road at Kal Tire Place.

There are no reports of any injuries or loss of life.

Watching houses burn through a telescope
by u/noahB53 in kelowna

For the latest information on evacuations, go to cordemergency.ca.


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Marshall Jones

News is best when it's local, relevant, timely and interesting. That's our focus every day.

We are on the ground in Penticton, Vernon, Kelowna and Kamloops to bring you the stories that matter most.

Marshall may call West Kelowna home, but after 16 years in local news and 14 in the Okanagan, he knows better than to tell readers in other communities what is "news' to them. He relies on resident reporters to reflect their own community priorities and needs. As the newsroom leader, his job is making those reporters better, ensuring accuracy, fairness and meeting the highest standards of journalism.