UPDATE
07/26/2015 03:11 PM PDT
The Emergency Operation Centre advises that the Evacuation Alert for the Shelter Cove-Westside Road Interface Fire has now been rescinded. This includes all properties along Westside Road from Denison Road, north to La Casa.
BC Wildfire Service firefighters will continue to monitor and work on the fire. For their safety, members of the public are asked to stay out of the fire-affected area as an Area Restriction has been issued. Please obey all warning and hazards signs and watch for any firefighters and fire suppression vehicles that are still working in this area.
For the latest information from the BC Wildfire Service on this fire follow this link: http://bcwildfire.ca/hprScripts/WildfireNews/OneFire.asp?ID=561 Central Okanagan residents are encouraged to prepare
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The BC Wildfire Service advises effective 7:00 p.m. Friday, July 24, Westside Road will be completely open to through traffic in both directions.
The closures at La Casa and Cinnabar Creek will be removed at 7:00 p.m. and motorists will be able to travel north and south.
For more information please visit www.drivebc.ca.
Motorists are asked to please watch for and give way to any emergency vehicles or first responders that are still working on the Shelter Cove-Westside Road fire. Please keep them safe.
The Evacuation Alert remains in place for approximately 70 properties and residents should be prepared to leave on short notice should conditions with the fire change.
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The evacuation order for residents caused by the Shelter Cove/Westside Road fire has been downgraded to an evacuation alert as of 11 a.m. today.
Westside Road will remain closed between Cinnabar Creek and La Casa Resort, except to residents and those staying in the alert area.
There will be no through traffic permitted at this time. Check points at Cinnabar Creek and La Casa will require proof of residency or rental accommodation in the Alert area, to enter to the area.
These properties will however, remain under an evacuation alert and residents should be prepared to leave their homes on short notice in the event that conditions change and the evacuation order is reinstated.
The fire has 25 per cent containment however those returning should be aware that active fire suppression continues in the area west of Westside Road.
The area is not safe for the public and for safety reasons people should stay out. Visible smoke may continue rising from the fire site. Those returning may encounter various hazards on private properties as a result of the forest fire. Again, please stay out of fire-affected areas.
There is no electrical service in the area under evacuation alert. Lines were de-energized at the request of and for the safety of emergency services responders. BC Hydro is working to restore service as quickly as possible.
This may also impact the availability of other services such as water or septic depending on the source/provider. For details on the status of electrical service visit www.bchydro.com and select the Power Outages menu option.
With the electrical service outage, those returning may have concerns for food safety. Interior Health says during a power outage, food in a fridge or freezer may not be safe to eat. ‘When in doubt, throw it out.’
Specific information about Food, Water Quality, Septic Systems and Fire Retardants is available at:
www.interiorhealth.ca/YourEnvironment/EmergencyPreparedness/Pages/Forest-Fires.aspx.
The Emergency Support Services reception centre is now closed. With the lifting of the evacuation order allowing affected people to return to their homes, ESS advises that the referral forms issued at the reception centre will no longer be valid regardless of the expiry date.
For the most up-to-date information on emergencies in the Central Okanagan, visit cordemergency.ca.
Meanwhile, BC Hydro customers who have been without electricity since Monday due to the Westside Road wildfire can expect to have their power restored by 1 p.m. today, thanks to temporary diesel generating units that BC Hydro crews have been integrating into the system since Thursday.
The generating units will provide continuous power to all customers that have been receiving power on a rotational basis and to the La Casa subdivision.
About 100 customers directly in the fire zone will remain without power until BC Hydro is able to repair our equipment in the area impacted by the fire.