Caesars Landing ordered evacuated as wildfire alert expands along Westside Road

Residents of Caesars Landing were ordered to evacuate early Monday as increased wildfire activity prompted new emergency measures along Westside Road.

Central Okanagan Emergency Operations issued the evacuation order at 5:42 a.m. on Aug. 3, upgrading an earlier alert for the area. At 6:30 a.m., a separate evacuation alert was issued for properties in Shelter Cove, Secret Point and Cinnabar Creek.

The Caesars Landing evacuation order includes 5455 and 5495 Deighton Road, 5000 Westside Road North, Caesars Landing and Bald Range Road.

Residents in the order area must leave immediately. The designated evacuation route is south along Westside Road, and evacuees have been directed to follow instructions from emergency personnel and traffic-control crews.

Officials said the evacuations were underway to provide safe passage through the area while the Quilpituk Creek and Bradley Creek wildfires burned to the north. No structures were immediately threatened when the order was issued, but crews were responding to increased fire activity.

EmergencyInfoBC’s latest regional summary says Westside Road from Nahun northward is restricted to emergency vehicles and people who need to evacuate.

Alert issued for 24 Westside Road properties

The evacuation alert for Shelter Cove, Secret Point and Cinnabar Creek applies to the following Westside Road addresses:

3545, 3595, 3625, 3645, 3677, 3707, 3723, 3737, 3751, 3765, 3777, 3850, 3985, 4017, 4029, 4049, 4069, 4129, 4163, 4200, 4215, 4400, 4401 and 4625 Westside Road.

Residents under alert are not required to leave but must be prepared to evacuate on short notice.

Emergency officials have asked people in the alert area not to self-evacuate or get into their vehicles unless specifically directed to do so. Unnecessary travel could create congestion and interfere with emergency response operations.

Residents should instead prepare identification, medications, important documents, pet supplies and other essential items that may be needed if the alert is upgraded to an evacuation order.

Evacuation orders remain across Westside Road communities

As of the provincial update posted at 6:30 a.m. Monday, evacuation orders were also in effect for:

• All remaining properties south of Okanagan Indian Band IR 1 to north of Nahun;

• Properties in the Killiney Beach area;

• Lower Fintry, Valley of the Sun and Ewings Landing;

• La Casa, including La Casa Lakeside Resort and La Casa Cottages, along with multiple properties on Westside Road; and

• Properties north of Nahun and south of La Casa.

An evacuation alert also remains in place from North Fintry to the border of Okanagan Indian Band land.

Residents should confirm whether their individual property is affected through the Central Okanagan emergency map or EmergencyMapBC because evacuation boundaries are property-specific and may change quickly.

Support available for evacuees

The Westbank Lions Community Centre at 2466 Main Street in West Kelowna opened at 9 a.m. Monday to provide in-person Emergency Support Services.

Overnight support is also available at Westbank First Nation’s Sensisyusten House of Learning at 1920 Quail Lane for evacuees and Okanagan Indian Band members affected by the Quilpituk Creek wildfire.

Royal LePage Place Arena at 2760 Cameron Road is accepting evacuees requiring group lodging. Officials have asked people to arrange accommodation with family or friends where possible because commercial accommodation in the Central Okanagan is at capacity.

People requiring assistance during an evacuation are encouraged to register online with Emergency Support Services. Those who complete the online registration process can receive instructions about available support without attending a reception centre.

The Central Okanagan public information line is available at 250-469-8490 or toll-free at 1-877-569-8490. Residents should call 911 only during an emergency.

The most recent change to evacuation orders and alerts was issued at 6:30 a.m. on Aug. 3. Residents should continue monitoring Central Okanagan Emergency Operations and EmergencyInfoBC for further updates.