KELOWNA — Hundreds of evacuees have come to Kelowna’s Prospera Place to escape the wildfires that are burning across the Okanagan.
Jason Bedell of the Kelowna Fire Department said 134 people slept inside Prospera Place Friday night, on cots that filled the arena, while others decided to sleep in their cars in the parking lot.
“We’ve got our partners from the Kelowna Gospel Mission dropping off coffee, lots of people, lots of community support, and we’re actually seeing a lot of people feel a little bit more upbeat right now after the immense pressure they’re going through,” said Bedell.
Angela Poty, a Kelowna resident who had been at Prospera Place with her dog since early Friday, said the most difficult part of all this is not knowing the status of her house in Glenmore. When following evacuation orders, she could see flames just across the street.
“Luckily, they were able to find us a couple of cots. It was a little bit of a challenge because she’s [her dog] a cuddler and has separation anxiety issues, so normally it’s a queen-sized bed for the two of us. Sleeping on a twin-sized cot was not the most comfortable night, but it’s a roof over our head and somewhere to go,” said Poty.
Marilyn Palmondon also found shelter at Prospera Place. “We came from the Highlands Senior Residence in Glenmore. We were evacuated early yesterday afternoon. We’re having breakfast and we’re talking with friends just watching the news to see what’s happening with the wildfires. We’re doing really well here and last night they gave us cots to sleep on and blankets, so we were comfortable.”
Organizations such as Kelowna Gospel Mission, as well as the Central Okanagan Food Bank, have been in to supply food and water.
“We just had a team of volunteers and corporations come in yesterday and they actually created 600 fire emergency hampers. And we’re so thankful for that. With the support of Foodbanks B.C. and Save-on-Foods, we were able to do that and put that into action,” said Trevor Moss of Central Okanagan Food Bank.
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