Summerland farmers to get access to evacuation zone for livestock and crops

Summerland farmers, displaced by the Bald Range wildfire, will soon have a chance to return to their properties. The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has created a pass system, allowing farmers and ranchers to re-enter the evacuation zone specifically to tend to their animals.

This access also extends to growers seeking to harvest fruit, with the regional district prioritizing these requests. For those who lost pets, the regional district's Emergency Operations Centre is available for assistance. Neal Vander Helm, owner of Laughing Coyote Orchards, expressed his concern for the 10,000 trees and potted plants at his nursery, which has been without power since Friday night. He is unsure if the irrigation system is functioning and urgently needs to check on the water supply.

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My farming community in Summerland, we’ve been staying in touch through messages and phone calls and passing along the information we know, from map resources to what they’ve seen and we’ve got people in the fire department that are also farmers, and search and rescue and stuff, what they’ve seen back in town and trying to pass along research and knowledge.

The fire has led to widespread evacuations. In the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, 451 properties are under evacuation order and 1,065 are on alert. The entire District of Summerland is under an evacuation order, impacting 5,688 properties. Additionally, 38 properties on the Penticton Indian Band are under order, with 1,082 on alert.

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I don’t know if the time clocks that run the irrigation are actually operating and I would like to just be able to go and make sure that the water is working and the nursery, in particular, is the biggest concern.