Work to manage properties damaged by White Rock Lake fire ongoing

Pulling up to the properties damaged and destroyed by the White Rock Lake wildfire (video by Liam Verster / Vernon Matters)

RDCO Board Chair, Gail Given, said the neighbourhoods remain under evacuation because of a number of risks present in the area that residents may not think about.

“Like the potential for underground fires in root systems that continue to burn… trees that could fall, water systems that aren’t potable, and I’m only scratching the surface,” said Given.

“We also, in an active wildfire, don’t know what Mother Nature will deliver us tonight, tomorrow, the next day, it can change the situation from one that appears to be safe to one that’s very dangerous. Even the ability to get out of the area, the roads are constrained, you drove on the roads here, and if we suddenly had a large number of people having to evacuate an area in a very short period of time, it simply would be dangerous.”

Evacuees are also only able to leave the area heading south, as the north bound road is closed due to the ongoing threat of the White Rock Lake wildfire, making it even more risky for leaving the neighbourhoods.

Given adds that the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) is in charge of lifting the evacuation order and letting residents back into their homes, but at this time there’s no indication of when that might happen.

Ross Kotscherofski, the Fire Services Manager for the RDCO, joined Given during the press conference, noting some more hazards that are still present in the area.

“There’s active fire, there’s danger trees, there’s unstable soil, power lines down. It’s a whole lot of things.”

He told media that though there has been some reprieve due to the recent weather, a lot of work still needs to be done.

“I can’t say there’s really been a turning point, the humidity has helped a lot, as you can see the smoke is a lot better than we’ve been seeing. The active fire is not what we’ve seen, it’s not aggressive in nature which will hopefully give (B.C.) Wildfire the opportunity to guard the fire,” said Kotscherofski.

He added that the North Westside crews are facing a difficult situation as they have been forced to move to Kelowna or West Kelowna, and having to make the trip out every day to put out hot spots and protect the community.

Kotscherofski went on to describe the events of Sunday, August 14, when the fire activity picked up to Level 5 and 6 due to high winds.

He said North Westside crews went in to triage the properties they could save, and then they were slowly able to bring in resources off the Mt. Law fire to assist in their work until they could meet with the provincial crews who were on the north side of the fire.

Kotscherofski said having to make decisions on what properties they could and couldn’t save was devastating for the firefighters.

“They’re used to putting fires out if they see a fire they want to put it out. In this case, you just have too many homes on fire, so you have to go after the ones that you can save,” said Kotscherofski.

He said it was also scary for crews as the fire got past them and they had to retreat before getting back to work fighting the fire.

Fire crews have since been able to access all of the areas in the RDCO affected by the fire. They had been blocked by downed power lines, but work is ongoing to assess the damage and a final count of the homes lost is not yet known.

On Monday, the RDCO took a select number of residents on a tour similar to the one media were taken on, in order to assess the damage done to their properties.

Public Information Officer for the RDCO’s Emergency Operation Centre, Jodie Foster, told Vernon Matters that over the course of the day, between 80 and 100 residents were taken out.

“The objective [Monday] was to give residents that have had significantly damage or lost homes, an opportunity to see firsthand what their situation is, to take photos and get ready for insurance claims and be able to start,” said Foster.

She added it was a tough day because there was a lot of emotion, but also lots of appreciation for having the opportunity to see the damage firsthand.

The North West Side Fire Hall is being used as a staging area. (Liam Verster/Vernon Matters Staff)

Home destroyed by White Rock Lake wildfire. (Liam Verster/Vernon Matters Staff)

Property damaged by the White Rock Lake wildfire. (Liam Verster/Vernon Matters Staff)

Remains of a trailer destroyed by the White Rock Lake wildfire. (Liam Verster/Vernon Matters Staff)

Now that the resident tours have been done, ‘mop up’ work is underway which involves digging up and hitting hot spots burning underground.

Firefighters mopping up at the site of a former house. (Liam Verster/Vernon Matters Staff)

Firefighters mopping up a hot spot. (Liam Verster/Vernon Matters Staff)

Kotscherofski adds crews are also working to FireSmart properties in the Valley of the Sun and Upper Fintry areas.

“What [crews will] do is they’ll go into homes and take all the fuels away from the homes and do the best they can so if a fire moves in the crews would be able to move in and save that home, that it wouldn’t ignite combustibles around the home.”

He said there are around 20 to 30 trucks working through the area, and that a lot of them have come in from surrounding communities to support the work.

Popkum Fire Department crews assist in mopping up the scene. (Liam Verster/Vernon Matters Staff)

He notes that BC Hydro crews have already knocked down dangerous trees and are working to restore power back to the homes in the neighbourhoods, while telecommunication crews are also working to bring back phone and internet services.

BC Hydro crews replace poles and wires along Westside Road. (Liam Verster/Vernon Matters Staff)

Power lines remain down along much of the more impacted parts of Westside Road. (Liam Verster/Vernon Matters Staff)

Lance Kayfish, the Risk Manager and Safety Officer for the RDCO’s Emergency Operations Centre, told Vernon Matters that the damage from this fire is shocking, despite having seen other fires over his years working for the district.

“It’s always hard and you always have compassion for people who have suffered those loses, and, as emergency responders, we just try to do our best to make sure people are given every opportunity to get on with the next step, which is rebuilding,” said Kayfish.

“After that response phase finishes, it’s important people understand the Regional District and Emergency Operations will shift into recovery mode, where we shift from thinking about how we respond to the prevention side of stopping the damage caused by a natural event like this, and get on with the work of trying to determine how we can help people, what we can do for them what we can’t do, and other things like making the area safe.”

He goes on to say that along with putting out hot spots and addressing hazards, work will also need to be done to assess the impacts the fire has had on infrastructure.

“The roadways have to be assessed for safety, the water systems have to be looked at very closely to ensure that the potable water will be returned to the environment, getting electricity back to the area so people can come back and inhabit their homes with power so [refrigerators] and other appliances can run,” said Kayfish. Getting power back up is a high priority right not, he said.

Kayfish also notes that geotechnical surveys will also need to be done in weeks and months to come to determine the stability of the slopes and the impact that the fire has had on things like drainage.

RDCO Fire Services truck parked on Westside Road. (Liam Verster/Vernon Matters Staff)

In the meantime, evacuees are still being advised to seek assistance under Emergency Support Services until the Evacuation Orders are lifted.

by Liam Verster

Work to manage properties damaged by White Rock Lake fire ongoing

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