Full extent of B.C. wildfire damage still not known as province consumed by worsening air quality

UPDATE:At least 50 West Kelowna structures lost to wildfire, but worst hit areas yet to be surveyed

If the power or data on your device is low, you can get wildfire updates onCBC Lite,our low-bandwidth, text-only website.

The latest on wildfires:

• Homes have been destroyedand more than 4,000properties are on evacuation order in the Shuswap region, as two major fires combined near Adams Lake.
• Highway 1 remains closed and evacuation orders are still in placein the Fraser Canyon as a result of the Kookipi Creek wildfire.
• A provincewidestate of emergencyhas been declared in British Columbia.Here's what it means.
• Non-essential travel to the Southern Interior has been restricted as 30,000 people are under evacuation orders.
• Many people want to help evacuees.Learn more about how to offer your support.
• Learn abouthow to find the full list of wildfires, highway closures and evacuation orders and alerts.
• Tunein for ongoing coverage of the wildfire situation onCBC Radio One, 88.9 FM in Kelowna, 96.9 FM in Salmon Arm, orby using theCBC Listen app.You can also watch free livestreamsonCBC News NetworkandCBC Gem.

Tens of thousands of British Columbians remain out of their homes and are trying to come to terms with the loss of multiple propertiesas out-of-control wildfires destroy structuresand lead to poor air quality provincewide.

In a Sunday morning news briefing, fire officialsnotedthe fight against devastating wildfires raging around Okanagan Lake has turned a corner after days of destruction.

But on Sunday, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District said all evacuation orders and alerts remain in place after theLower East Adams Lake and the Bush Creek East wildfiresmerged into one large fire Saturday.

The fires haveravagedthe communities of Scotch Creek and Celista on the north shore of Shuswap Lake, a popular tourist destination about 150 kilometres north of Kelowna.

Since Thursday, officials have confirmed the loss of homes and structures in theKelowna area and parts of the Shuswap, but the full extent of the damage has not been tallied as fires continue to burn through the province's tinder-dry forests, fuelled by wind, drought and hot weather.

West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund said Sunday "things are finally looking better,"with an army of 500 firefighters engaged in a battle that has entered a new phase.

Brolund saidno more homes in West Kelowna had been destroyed by the McDougall Creek wildfire in the past 24 hours and it was possible to begin to "talk about recovery."

WATCH | Tourists urged to cancel vacations to B.C. fire zone:

Fire crews moving forward against blazes near Kelowna

1 year ago

Duration 2:15

Cooler temperatures helped firefighters make progress against wildfires in the Kelowna area after a volatile few days. Meanwhile, the blazes have put a major pause on the areas tourism industry.

Family homes, pets lost

Honey Williams August, of Squilax, near Little Shuswap Lake, lost two cats, an expansive garden,and the home that she and her husband had been building with their own hands, often using reclaimed materials. They don't have insurance.

"Our home was a labour of love and it demonstrated who we arewe had a ceremonial space we got married there," she said.

Williams August had expected to have plenty of warning if they needed to evacuate, but with the quick-moving fires, that wasn't the case.

"It's going to be hard to go back and see a black earth instead of a green earth. The things we lost are not our lives, but it's two of our cats I'm hoping if anybody sees Artemis or Boots, pick 'em up."

Smoky skies bulletins have been issued for southern B.C. and air quality advisories arein place in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

The smoky skies bulletin, issued by the province just before 11 a.m. PT on Sunday, covers the entire southern Interior from the B.C.-Alberta border including Kamloops, Kelowna, the Okanagan and the Kootenays.

The province is under a state of emergency, and travel to B.C.'s Southern Interior has been restricted, preventing tourists from using hotels, motels, RV parks and other temporary accommodations in Kelowna and West Kelowna, Kamloops, Oliver, Osoyoos, Penticton and Vernon, so they can be utilized for evacuees.

Some evacuation orders have been lifted. The evacuation order coveringall properties accessed off Quail Ridge Boulevard in Kelowna,which includes some parts of UBC's Okanagan campus, has been downgraded to an alert.

Provincial officials said Saturday30,000 people have been told to leave their homes, and a further 36,000 have been told to get ready to leave at a moment's notice.

Highway 1, a major route through the province, is also closed in at least two spots, includingbetween Lytton and Hope, and between Chase and Sorrento.

WATCH | Wildfires tear through communities across province:

B.C. wildfires tear through homes and communities across province

1 year ago

Duration 4:29

Officials in British Columbia said 30,000 people have been told to leave their homes, and 36,000 people have been told to get ready to leave at a moment's notice. B.C. Wildfire Service spokesperson Forrest Tower said the fire in the Shuswap region grew about 20 kilometres in 12 hours, which is among the fastest growth B.C. has seen for a wildfire.

The province announced Sunday it is providing support including accommodation, food, and clothing to evacuees across the province through Emergency Support Services (ESS). Those who require support should follow directions provided by their local authority or First Nation about how to register.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he hadapproved a request from the B.C. government for additional support in managing the situation.

He indicated that military assets and other resources would be deployed to assist with evacuations and other logistical tasks.

Speaking to reporters earlier in the day, Trudeau called the wildfires in B.C. an "extraordinarily serious situation."

Firefighters look ahead to recovery in Kelowna

There are more than 10,000 evacuees in the Kelowna region due to the McDougall Creek wildfire, which has destroyed homes in the Central Okanagan.

Kelowna fire chief Travis Whiting said Sundayhe was also "very excited"about the advances being made, with his crews optimistic and in good spirits.

He said there had been decreased fire activity, compared to the extreme behaviour of fires in recent days as they tore through neighbourhoods and destroyed homes in both West Kelowna and Kelowna, on either side of the lake.

"It's a day when we can take a deep breath"and focus on strategy, said Whiting.

WATCH | West Kelowna fire chief says challenging days ahead:

B.C. crews dealing with wildfires 'on an epic scale,' West Kelowna chief says

1 year ago

Duration 1:54

'Things are looking better. We are finally feeling like we're moving forward rather than we're moving backwards,' West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund said during a news conference.

Lake Country Fire Chief Darren Lee became emotional as he paid tribute to the firefighters, some of whom had fought to save their own communities from destruction.

"I just want to congratulate all our firefighters. You know, for thousands of years, just regular people step up to to be warriors to protect their villages, protect their neighbours there's people out there working 36-, 48-hour shifts, and they take an absolute beating," Lee said, choking up.

"They know their family's being evacuated while they're trying to defend their neighbour's home and they just keep going."

All evacuees are also asked to register with aprovincial portal.

Crews'gear stolen amid Shuswap destruction

Two fast-movingwildfires burned down blocks of homes, stores and buildingsin multiple communities in the Shuswap region, according to BCWS.

On Saturdaythe Lower East Adams Lake and the Bush Creek East wildfires merged into one large fire.

WATCH| Wildfire burns near highway as resident evacuates near Scotch Creek:

Scenes of destruction as Shuswap region burns in B.C.

1 year ago

Duration 0:43

Hundreds of people have fled their homes, some forever, as flames closed in on the North Shuswap region of B.C.'s Interior, leaving a trail of devastation.

The fire grew about 20 kilometres in 12 hours, which is among the fastest growth B.C. has seen for a wildfire, said B.C. Wildfire Service fire information officer Forrest Tower.

As of Sunday afternoon, the blaze covered an area of 410 square kilometres.

BCWS could not confirm the number of homes or buildings that burned down overnight and said it was still assessing the damage in Celista.

However, in an update on Sunday, Tower saidthe damage "is quite significant."

"Celista actually was hit worse than Scotch Creek, and the fire essentially ran unsuppressed and unmitigated right through that community," he told CBC News.

Tower said on Sunday that gear belonging to crewswas being stolen or moved while responding to the fire, and he urged anyone with firefighting equipment to return it.

"We are doing everything we can on our side, to use our expert knowledge of where those resources would be most effective," he said. "If those are tampered with or removed or stolen, it is really limiting our operations right now in the North Shuswap area."

In Scotch Creek, the fire department's building was razed by flames, according to Derek Sutherland from the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District.

"They got all their apparatus out and they're operating out of the mobile command centre and they're out there actively fighting fire as we speak," he said on Sunday morning.

READ MORE ON WILDFIRES:

• Wildfire experts sayforest management practices and climate changeare major factors in B.C. suffering its worst wildfire season on record.
• CBC News photographer Ben Nelms accompanied residents of Scotch Creek to witness the destruction of thewildfire burning through the Shuswap.
• Evacuees shared terrifying footage of the wildfire burning alongside themas they fled their homes.
• Sarah McLachlan was set to play shows in Salmon Arm and West Kelowna over the next two days, but both concerts have been cancelled because of wildfires.
• Get the news you need without restrictions. Download ourfree CBC News App.

WATCH | Witness recounts driving through raging B.C. wildfire:

'I was terrified': Witness recounts driving through raging B.C. wildfire

1 year ago

Duration 2:50

Nikki Goyer recounts feeling 'terrified' after she and her fiance drove through a raging wildfire on Friday near Sorrento, B.C., to rescue Goyer's sister-in-law who needed evacuating from a town nearby.

Anyone placed under an evacuation order should leave the area immediately.

Evacuation centres have been set up throughout the province to assist anyone evacuating from a community under threat from a wildfire.

To find the centre closest to you, visit the EmergencyInfoBC website.

Evacuees are encouraged to register with Emergency Support Services online, whether or not they access services at an evacuation centre.

Do you have a story to share?

If you've been affected by the B.C. wildfires and want to share your story, email cbcnewsvancouver@cbc.ca.