No timeline for Summerland evacuees to return as Bald Range re-entry planning continues
Thousands of properties remain under evacuation order because of the Bald Range wildfire, with emergency officials saying there is still no timeline for residents to return home.
BC Fire Service photo
OKANAGAN — Thousands of properties remain under evacuation order because of the Bald Range wildfire, with residents still facing no timeline for when they will be allowed to return home.
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen Emergency Operations Centre said Tuesday evening that conditions around the wildfire continue to change and that teams are working on re-entry planning.
“There is no timeline for re-entry,” the EOC said in its Aug. 11 update, adding residents will be able to return when officials determine it is safe.
Before evacuation orders can be lifted, essential services including utilities, electrical power, waste disposal and roads need to be in place, along with other safety considerations.
The Bald Range wildfire, identified as K51490, remained classified as out of control Wednesday morning and was estimated by the BC Wildfire Service at 15,590 hectares.
Highway 97 remained closed through the affected area at the time of the Tuesday evening briefing. DriveBC continued to carry a Summerland wildfire closure advisory Wednesday morning.
The scale of the evacuation remains significant.
As of the RDOS's 1 p.m. Tuesday update, all 5,688 properties in the District of Summerland were under evacuation order.
Another 451 properties within the RDOS were under evacuation order and 1,065 were on alert. Penticton Indian Band had 38 properties under evacuation order and 1,082 on alert.
Temporary access available for urgent needs
While general re-entry has not begun, the RDOS has established a Temporary Access Permit system for people who need to enter evacuated areas under specific emergency circumstances.
The EOC said Tuesday it was receiving a high volume of Temporary Access Permit applications and warned residents that submitting an application does not guarantee they will be allowed through a checkpoint.
Requests are being considered for circumstances including life-safety concerns, livestock welfare, critical infrastructure needs and commercial fruit-growing and farming operations.
The permits are not intended to allow residents to make routine visits to evacuated properties.
The RDOS says lawn maintenance, landscaping, garden watering and concerns about the appearance of a property are not considered emergency circumstances.
Access for personal pets will generally not qualify unless there are exceptional animal-welfare or life-safety circumstances. Residents needing medication are being directed to seek an emergency supply from a pharmacy rather than entering an evacuation area.
Residents who have already applied are being asked not to submit another application, as duplicate applications will not speed up the process.
They should also not travel to or wait at a checkpoint unless their access has been approved. Anyone arriving without an approved Temporary Access Permit will be turned around, according to the RDOS.
Emergency officials continue to urge residents to stay out of evacuation zones and active fire areas and to obey road closures and posted signs. RCMP is patrolling affected areas.
Wildfires remain active across the Southern Interior Wednesday morning, with conditions ranging from an ongoing evacuation emergency in the Okanagan to active but more remote fires in the Boundary and West Kootenay.