Thousands of British Columbia residents forced to evacuate their homes due to wildfires will be allowed to return as some evacuation orders have been downgraded to alerts. In Summerland, part of the evacuation order near the Bald Range wildfire has been reduced to an alert, permitting around 400 properties in the Trout Creek neighborhood east of Highway 97 to return.
Evacuation orders in the Peachland and Electoral Area West regions have also been downgraded to alerts. Similarly, properties near the Pear Lake wildfire, including the entire Village of Clinton, have been removed from the evacuation order. Evacuees will start returning to the area on Saturday morning. Clinton Mayor Roland Stanke mentioned significant property and home losses due to the fire.
Meanwhile, evacuees affected by the Quilpituk wildfire north of Kelowna will also be returning as the evacuation order has been downgraded to an alert. Approximately 2,400 households are affected by this change, and a staged re-entry process will be implemented to manage traffic flow.
Residents are urged to inspect their properties for any damage before returning and dispose of perishable items from their fridges and freezers. No structural damage has been reported in the area. The Quilpituk Creek fire was contained on Thursday.
The Regional District of Central Okanagan is asking for patience from evacuees of the Bald Range wildfire due to potential increased fire activity. Premier David Eby mentioned deploying specialized search-and-rescue teams for damage assessments in affected areas.
Over 110 wildfires are currently active in British Columbia, with the Pear Lake wildfire being the largest at 1,574 square kilometers, and the Brunswick Creek fire complex covering over 700 square kilometers in the Fraser Canyon.
Highway 97 has reopened with limited daytime hours, and air quality warnings are in effect for several parts of southern B.C., with a very high health risk due to wildfire smoke. Highway closures north of Hope and Cache Creek remain in place, but Highway 97 will fully reopen on Saturday noon according to the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.