Residents in Kelowna and West Kelowna who were actually able to get some sleep through the night are once again waking up to the sounds of helicopters overhead, as air support returns to fight the massive fires burning in the area.
Many of the thousands of people who've been evacuated in West Kelowna, Kelowna and Lake Country are waking Saturday morning, anxiously waiting to learn if their homes remain standing, as the rising sun burns bright pink through the smoky skies.
While officials have yet to confirm any numbers, Castanet watched as several homes were destroyed by the McDougall Creek fire above Westside Road, near Highway 97, Friday afternoon. This came after much of Traders Cove and Bear Creek Road were destroyed the night before.
After the strong winds pushed the fire to the north Thursday and Friday morning, the winds shifted Friday afternoon, pushing the fire back towards a number of neighbourhoods. Satellite fire data shows much of the fire activity through the night occurred on the southern and western flanks.
The extent of the damage remains unclear, but the Rose Valley, Bartley Road and Shannon Lake areas were threatened. Castanet expects to hear from fire officials Saturday for an update on the overnight progress of the fire.
Meanwhile, two other large interface fires continue to burn on the east side of Okanagan Lake.
The fire that was started near Kelowna's Clifton Road Thursday night has spread east, towards Glenmore, prompting the evacuation of many homes from the lake all the way to Glenmore Road. Additionally, the fire has spread to the Kelowna landfill, closing the landfill, and prompting evacuations of UBC Okanagan and Quail Ridge.
The BC Wildfire Service has most recently estimated this fire to be 580 hectares in size.
Further north, a separate fire in Lake Country's Okanagan Centre area has also grown rapidly, forcing the evacuation of many homes in that area. Some of the evacuations extend all the way from the lake to Highway 97.
A full map of evacuation orders and alerts in the Central Okanagan can be found here.
