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Evacuation Order Rescinded For Remaining Okanagan Centre Fire Area

Jul 19, 2017 | 8:20 AM

The Okanagan Centre Fire Evacuation Order has now been rescinded for 58 properties on Nighthawk, Long and Tyndall Roads.

Residents are advised to go to www.cordemergency.ca/resources for information on what to do when returning home after a forest fire and to contact Fortis at 1-888-224-2710 to have natural gas service restored to their houses.

The Fire is 100 per cent contained but some hot spots remain and residents returning to their homes will stay on Evacuation Alert and should be prepared to leave on short notice.

Ground crews will continue extinguishing spot fires and conducting danger assessments and falling trees in fire impacted areas throughout the day Wednesday.

Parks, trails and public and private lands in the area of the fire remain closed, including Jack Seaton Park and trails.

Nighthawk, Long and Tyndall Roads are open to local traffic only.

Flaggers will remain in place to direct permitted traffic into the area.

The District of Lake Country has arranged a town hall meeting tomorrow night for residents who are returning home.

It will be held at 7 pm at Thursday at Winfield Memorial Hall10130 Bottom Wood Lake Road

Representatives from the BC Wildfire Management Branch and a company that supplies fire retardant will be on hand to provide information and answer questions regarding cleanup and recovery.

Residents returning to homes should be aware that structures and vehicles may have sustained damage from smoke, water and fire suppressants.

When returning home, be cautious in your neighborhood and watch out for:
“Trees that may be unstable and fall.
“Live power lines lying on the ground.
“Small fires that may flare up without warning.
“Ash pits, which are holes filled with hot ash created by burned trees.

Interior Health also provides useful information on exposure to smoke from forest fires, food safety, water quality and septic tanks and disposal fields. Please visit: https://www.interiorhealth.ca/YourEnvironment/EmergencyPreparedness/Pages/Forest-Fires.aspx