We went out for a drive this afternoon, out to Kalamalka Lake. I'll post pictures tomorrow, but for tonight, I have something more important.
On our way back into Kelowna, we noticed a plume of smoke coming from what looked like the other side of the lake. As we got closer, listening to the news, we heard that, indeed, there is a fire on the opposite side of the lake, West Kelowna, in the Glenrosa area. According to the news (at about 7:00), there were already 3 homes destroyed and numerous subdivisions were being evacuated, with fears that the fire may well spread into the downtown Westbank area. We pray that won't happen. As it is, memories of the 2003 fire are still very strong here. Hundreds of homes were destroyed then; many homes have just recently been rebuilt.
The conditions here in the Okanagan, as in many other areas, are perfect for a fire, unfortunately. It's extremely dry and this afternoon has been extremely windy as well. I decided to take this little video clip just so you can see what I mean. The sound you hear drowning me out is the wind.
The last news that we heard is that four fire bombers are on their way to Kelowna from Abbotsford (a 4 hour drive) to help fight the fire. I'm sure they'll be working round the clock.
I have photos as well, but for now, I'll just upload the video clip. Please keep Kelowna in your thoughts. Oh, before you ask, John and I live nowhere near the fire, and unless something really drastic happens, we're safe. Those living on the west side of the lake, however, are not so fortunate.
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Oh my, that is a horrible shame. I do hope they are able to snuff the flames quickly and safely. That wind was horrid!
ReplyDeleteRight now I would be more than happy to share our rain with you. We've had far too much of it. And the weatherman is predicting that 6 of the next 7 days will be bringing us more rain. We get too much, and you have far too little. Mother Nature needs to find a happy medium and then stay there! LOL
Keep safe :)