UPDATE:
- Summerland District’s evacuation order has been partially lifted, now transitioning to an alert for an area east of Highway 97 and the Trout Creek neighborhood west of Highway 97.
- Full reopening of Highway 97 in Summerland for all traffic has been confirmed.
- Evacuation orders are gradually rescinded in critical fire areas in British Columbia, including Clinton and Summerland.
- The B.C. Wildfire Service advises that smoke covering the southern region of the province may persist until Sunday.
- Potential for lightning-triggered fires remains high on Sunday, as stated by a fire information officer.
- Partial reopening of Highway 97 near Cache Creek took place on Saturday following the Pear Lake wildfire closure.
Residents of Summerland, B.C., are allowed to return home as the evacuation order for the specified areas has been downgraded to an alert, but residents must be prepared for immediate evacuation if necessary. The district advises residents to verify their address’s status within the re-entry zone due to evolving ground conditions.
Mayor Doug Holmes of Summerland announced that 800 more properties have had evacuation orders lifted, totaling approximately 1,200 properties now under evacuation alert. The initial fire incident led to 5,500 properties being evacuated, with damage assessments completed.
Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes at a wildfire evacuation center in Penticton, B.C., on Aug. 8. Holmes says 5,500 properties in the district were placed on evacuation order when the fire first broke out. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
“We’ll see how today goes. And then tomorrow look at … when can we bring more people,” he said of the downgraded evacuation orders.
“And hopefully it’ll be a larger number each time. That’s kind of the goal.”
An