Debris and rubble at Camp OAC (Okanagan Anglican Camp) after it was destroyed by the McDougall Creek wildfire.HO/The Canadian Press
The British Columbia government’s decision to lift some travel restrictions in the Okanagan as the wildfire situation improves was welcomed by the tourist industry and local mayors as the region attempts to salvage the end of the summer season.
Still, they cautioned visitors to continue to pay attention to evacuation orders and alerts, and to stay away from several areas that remain off limits.
The province imposed travel restrictions on the weekend for many communities, including Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon and Kamloops, which the government said was necessary to keep accommodations available for evacuees and emergency personnel.
Most of those restrictions ended Tuesday night at midnight, with the exception of West Kelowna, where an aggressive wildfire destroyed as many as 90 homes since last week. The government is also asking travellers to stay away from heavily affected areas such as Lake Country and the Shuswap.
The wildfire situation in West Kelowna and elsewhere has improved in recent days amid cool temperatures and wet weather, with heavy rain in some areas on Wednesday. About 27,000 people remain affected by evacuation orders.
Mayors in several communities that faced travel restrictions, which were initially set to last into early September, said they were delighted about the change in policy but also cautioned travellers to check conditions before they hit the road.
“We welcome everybody back,” Penticton Mayor Julius Bloomfield said in an interview.
“If the conditions are good, and if they do decide to come and visit Penticton, then I can assure them that there’s a lot of businesses here that will give them a warm welcome and excellent service.”
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Osoyoos Mayor Sue McKortoff said her city is built on tourism.
“I’m delighted,” she said. “We depend on tourists in the summertime, particularly, and all year. And we are very happy that this has happened yesterday.”
Ingrid Jarrett, president and CEO of the B.C. Hotel Association, said as soon as the travel restrictions were implemented last Saturday, there were lots of cancellations in hotel and golf reservations, bike rentals and other related services.
“We’re staffed up to look after this high summer, peak season. And everybody was empty because all the reservations were cancelled,” Ms. Jarrett said.
She said businesses who can’t bring back guests may have to lay off staff.
Miles Prodan, president and chief executive of Wine Growers British Columbia, said the province’s wineries are ready to welcome tourists back to their tasting rooms.
Some hotels, motels and campgrounds that were expected to house evacuees and first-responders are not being used, he said, leaving space available for tourists.
The wine industry, which has been hit especially hard by the wildfires, is still recovering from crop damage from the 2021 fire season and a cold snap last December that wiped out half of this year’s crop of grapes.
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Officials in the Okanagan area said 174 properties were partially or totally damaged by the fires that raged for the past few days.
West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund said the firefighting effort is moving into the recovery phase, as favourable weather has seen major progress on the McDougall Creek wildfire that had grown to an estimated size of 12,270 hectares.
He said rain, combined with the increased humidity and the cooler temperatures, are going to be a boost for the firefighting response.
With incremental improvements being made, Mr. Brolund said there’s still a lot of work to be done before evacuees can return to their homes.
Although flames are stabilized in some parts of the province, they remain active in other regions such as the Fraser Canyon. Increased fire activity at a wildfire burning northwest of Lytton has forced the Lytton First Nation to issue an evacuation order on Tuesday.
According to B.C. Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Minister Bowinn Ma, more than 25,000 people are on evacuation order as of Wednesday morning, and 37,000 are on evacuation alert. She said more than 10,000 people have registered for emergency support services in relation to the McDougall Creek wildfire.
With reports from The Canadian Press