INFORMATION RELEASE                                                                                                         

A reminder, if you are under an Evacuation ORDER, you must leave the area immediately.
Residents and visitors are reminded to avoid all areas under Evacuation ORDER due to the threat to life safety. Remaining in areas under an Evacuation ORDER poses a danger to you and firefighting crews. This includes residents who may choose to leave the area if conditions worsen. This is especially dangerous during aerial operations and planned ignitions.

Residents who have chosen to ignore the Evacuation ORDER are asked to stay clear of personnel in the field to allow them to conduct operations.

Information from BC Wildfire Service:
BC Wildfire Service is focusing efforts along the perimeter of the ignitions from the northeast corner, along the north flank and around to the northwest corner, including mopping up and extinguishing hotspots to secure the line.

For further information, please visit BCWildfire.com.

Highway 3
Motorists are advised to drive with caution along Highway 3, in both directions, between Old Richter Pass Rd and Lambert Crt for 6.9 km due to the Eagle Bluff wildfire. Watch for speed reduction signs as well as watch for Fire Crews. Limited visibility with smoke. Expect delays.

For the latest updates on local highways, visit DriveBC.ca.

TELUS service outage – Kilpoola and Old Richter Pass areas, Electoral Area “A”
TELUS services are currently experiencing a disruption impacting landline phones in the Kilpoola and Old Richter Pass areas in Electoral Area “A” due to infrastructure damage from the Eagle Bluff wildfire, which may affect your ability to reach emergency (911) services. Impacted services include 911 Landline, Internet, Home Phone, and Optik/PIK TV. TELUS mobility services are not affected. Restoration efforts on the damaged cable continue. There is currently no estimated time of restoration.

For further information, please visit https://www.telus.com/en/bc/outages

Emergency Support Services (ESS)
If you require support, including food or lodging, please contact Emergency Support Services (ESS) at 250-486-1890. You can register online at ess.gov.bc.ca.

Call for volunteers
During emergencies, trained volunteers from across the region respond to assist residents in need.
If you would like to share your time and talents, please email ess@rdos.bc.ca or call  250-486-1890 for more information. 

BC Wildfire Camp at Keogan Sports Park in Okanagan Falls
Due to the presence of firefighting crews at Keogan Sports Park (1525 Cedar St.) in Okanagan Falls, residents and visitors will notice increased activity in the area. Vehicle access is currently restricted to local traffic only on the south end of Cedar Street adjacent to Keogan Park. Please avoid this area to allow crews safe access and egress to the site. Public access to the north end of Keogan Park is permitted. Thank you for your cooperation. 

Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team
Pet owners and hobby farmers with concern for their animals may contact ALERT (Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team for assistance: 250-809-7152 

Watercraft and Drones
Watercraft can create safety issues from helicopters and planes accessing water from lakes. BC Wildfire and the RCMP have lines of communication and any issues arising from boaters on the lake are reported to the RCMP for investigation. Drones are not permitted to be flown near an active wildfire as they pose a risk to low flying aircraft. Residents and visitors are asked to be aware and not interfere with fire fighting efforts. 

Update to Evacuation ALERTS and ORDERS
Please check the interactive map to confirm the status of your property: emergency.rdos.bc.ca

Please monitor official sources for the latest updates.

• emergency.rdos.bc.ca
• osoyoos.ca
• BCWildfire.com
• DriveBC.ca 

• Welcome Back residents impacted by Eagle Bluff wildfire
• RDOS Evacuation ALERT tips
• RDOS Evacuation ORDER tips

Areas remaining on Evacuation ORDER:

• Two properties within the Town of Osoyoos, south of the Osoyoos Industrial Park
• Parts of Electoral Areas “A” and “B” including the Kilpoola and Spotted Lake areas south of Highway 3 

Properties under Evacuation ALERT and ORDER current as of August 5, 2023, 5:00 pm:

• RDOS properties on Evacuation ALERT: 494
• RDOS properties on Evacuation ORDER: 132 

• Osoyoos properties on Evacuation ALERT: 66
• Osoyoos properties on Evacuation ORDER: 2 

For the latest updates on Evacuation ALERTS and ORDERS, please visit emergency.rdos.bc.ca. 

Extension of the State of Local Emergency
On August 3, 2023, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen requested to extend the duration of the state of local emergency that was set to expire on August 5, 2023 for Electoral Areas “A” and “B”. The Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness approved the extension for up to seven days, until midnight on August 12, 2023. 

Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
For the latest updates on local highways, visit DriveBC.ca.

Voyent Alert! Notifications
Click here to register for routine and emergency notifications via email, text, or telephone. 

You can also find a link to Voyent Alert! on the RDOS website: www.rdos.bc.ca. For further information, please call the EOC at 250-490-4225. In the case of an emergency, call 9-1-1.

FireSmart
Whether you are doing regular yard maintenance or making large scale changes during renovations or landscaping, you can make choices that will help protect your home from wildfire. 

For more information, please visit RDOS Community FireSmart at:  https://firesmart.rdos.bc.ca

Disaster Psychosocial Team
If you require support, please call the Disaster Psychosocial Team toll-free at 1-888-686-3022 or Wellness Together Canada at 1-866-585-0445.

Issued by EOC Director