More Joe Rich evacuees return home as Horgan tours burned communities
About 380 residents remain under evacuation orders with Joe Rich fire still only 20% contained
Two-thirds of the evacuees of the Philpott Road fire in Joe Rich have been allowed to return home.
About 380 of the 1,100 people initially forced to flee their homes remain on evacuation order after about 120 residents were allowed to go home Monday. Six hundred got the green light to return home Sunday.
“When it is safe and fire conditions allow, the order will be adjusted,” the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre said in a release Monday.
Approximately 90 provincial firefighters continued to work the blaze, which remained at 460 hectares. No homes or structures have been destroyed by the fire, which is considered to be 20 per cent contained.
Users of the Falcon Ridge water system are restricted to household use only. No irrigation is permitted to preserve water for firefighting efforts.
Highway 33 was open to single-lane, alternating traffic. Drivers should expect delays of between two and three hours.
Meanwhile, Premier John Horgan spent Monday touring fireaffected communities, promising financial assistance but cautioning it will take more than cheques to help with the recovery.
Horgan said it will take years for ranchers, tourism operators and communities to recover from this summer’s wildfires in B.C. as he reassured residents that financial assistance is part of the rebuilding process.
“That always is the place you start. You want to make sure the resources are there, the dollars are there to make a difference,” Horgan said in Kamloops.
Horgan travelled to several communities in the Interior with Forests Minister Doug Donaldson, looking for first-hand information from firefighters and residents.
Horgan’s itinerary included meetings with Cache Creek Mayor John Ranta and members of Indian bands in the Ashcroft area to discuss specific needs and plans.
Horgan also flew over the Joe Rich fire, seeing from the air the five square kilometres of brush and trees charred by the blaze.
Kevin Skrepnek with the BC Wildfire Service said 138 wildfires were burning across the province Monday, adding to the season’s total of 1,127 fires since April 1.
Just over 10,600 square kilometres of timber, brush and grassland have been destroyed across the province this year, which Skrepnek said is the largest area to burn in a fire season in the province’s recorded history. The province has spent more than $404 million fighting wildfires.
Based on a forecast of persistent hot and dry weather across
southern B.C., the fire season could stretch into the fall, he said.
“Even if we get a good amount of rain over the southern part of the province, there’s still going to be a tremendous amount of work to do getting these fires mopped up and extinguished,” Skrepnek said.
Some departments are moving toward the recovery phase of the fire season.
Chris Duffy with Emergency Management BC said plans are in the works for a program to help communities rebuild, including help for farmers, ranchers and small businesses.
About 2,000 people remain displaced and another 11,000 were on evacuation alert to leave their homes quickly if necessary, Duffy said.
Despite the length and intensity of the fire season, Skrepnek said there haven’t been any fatalities or serious injuries.
“Given how volatile, given how dire it has been at times, I think the wildfire service, everyone else involved and particularly the public has shown quite a bit of resilience,” he said.