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As people flee from growing wildfires in parts of British Columbia, the federal government says it has approved a request for assistance to provide shelter and accommodations for those who’ve been forced from their homes.
Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski said in a statement she’s tasked federal officials to work with the province to ensure support reaches “those who need it most.”
“The federal government is here to support British Columbia and everyone in the province impacted by this summer’s wildfires for as long as it takes,” she said.
That response will be good news for many, including some at an evacuation centre in Penticton who say they’ve been sleeping in their vehicles since first arriving.
Allan Jennens told Global News late Saturday evening he had spent 14 hours in line trying to register for assistance and was now staying nearby in hopes of being successful on Sunday. He said sleeping in his car leaves room for others who need a bed.
“There is (a bed) if you have no other place to sleep,” Jennens said. “I’ve seen some elderly people who had no other place to go. So we sleep in our cars so they can have the beds.”
Jennens said he learned late that day that his family’s home was still intact, which he called a “total relief,” but that may not be the reality for others.
People from Summerland, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, and the Penticton Indian Band have all sought shelter at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre as they wait to find out what has happened to their homes.
About 10,000 homes are under evacuation orders in these regions, with more than 3,200 under alerts that stretch north past Peachland to Highway 97C and south past Penticton on its western outskirts.
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Tom Joseph evacuated from the Summerland area and said the journey to Penticton was bumper-to-bumper. He told Global News he’s since learned his home survived the fire, but it was a close call.
“I heard today my house is good, I was one of the lucky ones that was spared,” he said. “But I did hear of some garages that were burned farther down the street. It came way too close for comfort.”
Joanne Liboiron said she had hoped to ride out the fire, until at about 1:30 a.m. on Saturday when an alarm went off and she realized they needed to leave Summerland.
“It was fearful, I mean now it’s real,” she said. “Up till then I was hosing down my house and I’m thinking, ‘Oh we can handle this.’ No you can’t. You don’t want to be stupid, when the siren goes you listen to the police and you go to safety. But it’s scary.”
Video footage shot after a wildfire in the small community of Faulder shows empty foundations, skeletal remains of vehicles and an occasional patch of green.
The Bald Range fire exploded in size by more than 100 square kilometres by Saturday afternoon, prompting thousands to be evacuated from Summerland and Peachland.
Peachland Mayor Patrick van Minsel said the fire evolved extremely fast.
“What was a small fire within two hours was one of the worst fires we’ve ever seen,” he said in an interview with Global News.
He said he’s noticed many efforts lately have been focused on Summerland compared to his community, but acknowledged even a change in wind could make things dangerous for his district.
About 1,200 to 1,500 residents have evacuated, while approximately 1,000 more are under an evacuation alert.
The mayor stressed residents should always be prepared, saying it’s important to have a bag ready to go should they need to evacuate and to listen to orders if they are issued.
B.C. Premier David Eby declared a provincial state of emergency on Saturday, saying the Bald Range fire marked a significant shift in the province’s wildfire situation. He said the lead commander on the fire, who had been up all night, described it as being “like a bomb going off in the Summerland region.”
Some evacuees who spoke with Global News said they faced long waits because they were told by volunteers and supervisors at the Penticton centre they only had a small number of workers.
“There is definitely something wrong with our system,” said Kathleen Newman, who said she had to wait about 14 hours to get registered. While she has been informed she’ll be able to return home as her apartment building remains intact, she expressed concerns over the amount of time she waited.
Asked about that wait, B.C. Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene told Global News they acknowledge how busy the reception centres are and recommended people consider registering online.
“It is an extremely large response that we’re trying to help as many people as quickly as possible,” she said.
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