Overall, at least 35,000 people were under evacuation orders and another 30,000 under evacuation alerts, as of August 19.[2][3]
The wildfire was being fueled by constant wind and extreme drought conditions. The wildfire was estimated to be at >13,500 hectares in size.
Background
The McDougall Creek Fire was one of the many wildfires in 2023 that burned in the Province of British Columbia.[4] The province announced on Thursday, August 17 that it was "the most challenging 24 to 48 hours this summer".
At 5:59 pm on August 15, the McDougall Creek fire was discovered and reported to B.C. Wildfire Services about 10 km northwest of West Kelowna. On the evening of August 17, 2023, a constant wind gust caused the wildfire to rapidly spread across the mountains.
At 1:25 pm PT on August 17, the evacuation alert was expanded, and an evacuation order was issued by the City of West Kelowna for 68 properties. Throughout the evening of August 17, further evacuation orders were issued by emergency officials. At around 9:55 pm, August 17, the wildfire jumped over Okanagan Lake sparking new wildfires north of Kelowna forcing a state of emergency by the city and further evacuations.[5][6]
Just after 10:20 am PT, August 18, Kelowna International Airport announced that they were suspending flights to and from the airport until further notice.[7]
Just after 6:15 pm, August 18, the province declared a state of emergency due to the changing and worsening fire condition. The province also advised against nonessential travel to the BC Interior.[8]
On August 19, the province announced in a ministerial order that non-essential travels into the B.C. Interior and southeast B.C. would be restricted[9] until September 4, 2023. The order restricts accommodations such as hotels, inns, motels, provincial parks, RV parks, bed and breakfasts, and public campgrounds in West Kelowna, Kelowna, Kamloops, Osoyoos, Oliver, Penticton, and Vernon to essential purposes only.[10]
On August 23, the province lifted most wildfire-related travel restrictions in the southern interior, with the exception of West Kelowna. Bowinn Ma, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, urged people to continuously avoid fire-affected communities and respect evacuation orders and alerts.[11]
As of September 1, the wildfire was estimated at 13,712 hectares in size and still classified as out of control. The wildfire was still actively burning along the west and southwest flanks.[12]
On September 21, the B.C. Wildfire Services reported that the wildfire was "being held" and that was fire was "not likely to spread past predetermined boundaries under current conditions."[13] The area restriction order remained in place until October 3. However, four regional district parks remained closed to the public.[14]
Damage
Officials have confirmed that fewer than 190 structures were lost and damaged.[15][16] One of the destroyed buildings included the historic Lake Okanagan Resort.[17]
