The Mayor of the District of Summerland praised the efforts of all emergency responders and local residents who have endured the wrath of Mother Nature during the recent wildfires that affected so many in Summerland over the past week.

During his regular “Mayor’s Report” to kick off Monday evening’s regular meeting of Summerland Council, Peter Waterman said the recent wildfires have been very difficult for many local residents.

“Our community and resources have been tested again,” he said. “The Mount Eneas fire has been a major event and I would like to first thank all the first responders, the firefighters, both our own crews and the forestry firefighters, and, of course, the RCMP who have handled all of the security aspects and emergency notifications.”

Photo Credit: Facebook Peter WatermanDuring Monday's regular meeting of Council, District of Summerland Mayor Peter Waterman thanked all first responders, firefighters and local residents who worked together during a very difficult time over the past week as wildfires raged near the community.

Senior administration and staff have also done a fantastic job at the community’s emergency services centre over the past several days, said Waterman.

“We just couldn’t do without them and they’ve done a marvellous job,” he said. “There has been great co-ordination between their group and our Emergency Operations Centre group as well."

Working on the Mount Eneas fire and the Mount Conkle wildfire has taken a team effort, including leadership from the BC Wildlife Service and Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources and Rural Development, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) and Central Okanagan Regional District (CORD) as well as staff from the District of Summerland and District of Peachland, said Waterman.

When the fire entered the District of Summerland, Fire Chief Glenn Noble and Deputy Fire Chief Rob Robinson immediately started using District apparatus to battle blazes that broke out last Tuesday evening around 7 p.m due to numerous lightning strikes across the region, said Waterman.

Photo Credit: NowMedia

“When it crosses our borders, we have to be responsible for what happens within,” he said. “I can’t say enough about how they and their crews engaged to deal with this threat to Summerland."

“I would like to say that CAO Linda Tynan and all the management staff really did step up and keep our EOC running efficiently throughout the period. I would also like to thank all the affected residents. Everybody has been pretty understanding as well as being quite helpful in assisting their neigbours."

“Hopefully now things will settle down, but we all have to remain vigilant as we go through hot, dry period … it is supposed to be getting hotter over the next few days.”

Tynan told Council that evacuation orders for 32 properties on Garnet Valley Road were lifted earlier Monday and those homes will remain under evacuation alert.

Tynan said it has been a trying week for staff due to the risks caused by the wildfires.

"I do note that last week was pretty intense for all of the staff who were involved," she said.

Staff should soon be able to get back to their regular duties as the threat of the wildfires appears to be diminishing, she said.

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