The incident commander of six wildfires in B.C.’s Slocan Lake region says changing weather conditions in the area are posing a challenge for crews.
Jason Lawler, a commander in an Australian leadership team called in to help, says what happens in the morning can be very different to what awaits teams in the afternoon on some days.
In a video posted online by the BC Wildfire Service, Lawler said the layers of smoke also make it difficult to deploy aircraft to help.
Mr Lawler said he did not expect the weather to improve in the coming days “and the weather conditions are not great at the moment”.
The entire village of Slocan, east of Kelowna, was ordered to evacuate Sunday, along with hundreds of surrounding properties, as multiple fires burn nearby.
Mayor Jessica Lunn says the evacuation has been surreal, but she is heartened by the support her community is receiving.
“Everyone was very nervous, [il y a] “There’s a lot of anxiety or anguish, and I’ve been so heartened to see the concern of the community, the offers of the broader community, to support our fellow Slocanians and those affected by these fires,” she said.
“There were a lot of neighbors helping neighbors. So people were very prepared for the evacuation order.”