All evacuation orders within the City of Kelowna have now been rescinded.
The Central Okanagan Regional District Emergency Operations Centre announced just after 4 p.m. that all evacuees within Kelowna can now return home. These properties remain under an evacuation alert, which means residents should still be prepared to leave if conditions change.
But earlier Thursday, the BC Wildfire Service classified the Kelowna and Lake Country fires as "held," meaning they're not expected to grow beyond predetermined boundaries. The McDougall Creek fire on the west side of Okanagan Lake remains out of control.
"Current Evacuation Orders and Alerts for Lake Country and West Kelowna, Westbank First Nations and RDCO remain in place, including residents on Bancroft Road in RDCO Electoral Area West, who were mistakenly included in the previous release," the regional district said.
Residents of the southern end of Finch Road who are now allowed to return home, must access their neighbourhood from the south, through the end of Wild Rose Road in the McKinley Landing neighbourhood. The EOC says these residents can only access their homes during daylight hours.
Earlier in the day, the regional district reminded residents that parks, including Stephens Coyote Ridge Regional Park and the North Glenmore Dog Park, and other natural areas within the fire area will be closed for some time due to danger trees that have been weakened by the fire and other hazards.
A full map of current evacuation orders and alerts can be found here.
