B.C. officials urge patience as some wildfire evacuees start returning home
Visit The Weather Network's wildfire hub to keep up with the latest on the unprecedented wildfire season across Canada.
The latest on the wildfires:
Some evacuation orders were lifted in the West Kelowna and Lake District areas on Wednesday.
Officials say there isn't a timeline for when 11,000 people in the Shuswap area can return home, following the devastating Bush Creek East wildfire.
181 properties were confirmed destroyed or damaged in the Kelowna area, with more damage assessments set to take place Thursday.
An online portal has been set up for evacuees in the Kelowna area to assess if their property has been damaged.
Even as rain helped firefighters in some communities, the area around Lytton — with multiple concerning wildfires — continues to be dry.
Learn more about how to find the full list of wildfires, highway closures and evacuation orders and alerts.
Officials throughout the B.C. Interior are pleading for patience from thousands of people displaced by wildfires, as some evacuees begin to head home.
The latest count shows 25,000 people have been told to leave their homes due to blazes across B.C.
On Wednesday night, 309 properties were taken off evacuation order in the West Kelowna area, along with a number of other areas in the District of Lake Country earlier in the evening as firefighters made good progress tackling fires like the McDougall Creek blaze.
WATCH: Animals large and small find shelter during B.C. wildfires
However, officials also confirmed that 181 properties were damaged or razed by blazes in the Kelowna area. Assessments to determine the full scale of the destruction are set to continue Thursday.
West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund says rescinding evacuation orders is not a simple process, and officials have to consider numerous factors, including whether roads can handle an influx of returning cars.escalates," he said.
While smoke from wildfires started to clear Tuesday in the Kelowna area, firefighters are still dealing with numerous fires — especially with the threat of lightning strikes. (Justine Boulin/CBC)
DON'T MISS: 181 properties confirmed damaged or destroyed by wildfires in B.C.'s Okanagan
"We want to avoid having to evacuate you a second time if this incident escalates," he said at a Wednesday news conference. "It's been proven that people are likely not to evacuate, in some cases, if they have to evacuate again."
The Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO) set up a portal Wednesday for evacuees to check the status of their home.
It has requested members of the general public not to use the portal.
"Some of the most challenging days are ahead. People and communities will learn of monumental loss. This will be a process of grief collectively," said Loyal Wooldridge, the RDCO chairperson, in a statement.
"As we move into recovery, the needs of each impacted community will be different."
As wildfire smoke cleared in the West Kelowna, B.C., area on Tuesday, Aug. 22, residents got a chance to survey some of the damage caused by the McDougall Creek wildfire. (Justine Boulin/CBC)
No timeline for Shuswap evacuees
Firefighters working to tackle the Bush Creek East wildfire in the Shuswap region also benefited from good weather on Wednesday, with helicopters and aerial resources set to continue working on the blaze Thursday.
Though more than 11,000 people remain on evacuation order in the area — some of whom are refusing to leave their communities — officials aren't yet giving a timeline for when those orders could be lifted.
"We understand the need for people to want to get back, to want to try to regain some sense of normalcy," said Tracy Hughes, public information officer for the Shuswap Emergency Program. "However, we just can't afford to put people back in situations that aren't completely vetted and safe."
WATCH: Rare 'fire tornado' caught on camera by B.C. wildfire crew
DON'T MISS: Essential items for your emergency "grab-and-go" kit
While rain helped firefighters in the Okanagan and Shuswap Wednesday, it did not reach the Fraser Canyon — where multiple wildfires remain burning around the community of Lytton.
Firefighters were set to conduct a planned ignition near the Kookipi Creek blaze south of the community on Wednesday, to remove unburnt fuel between the fire and nearby communities.
However, the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) says unfavourable winds stalled the operation, with conditions set to be re-evaluated Thursday.
Federal Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan listens to an evacuee at a Kelowna-area evacuation centre on Tuesday. (Justine Boulin/CBC)
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.
WATCH: Top 5 ways humans cause forest fires in Canada
This article was originally written by and published for CBC News. With files from Randi-Marie Adams.
