How to prepare for and what not to do during B.C. wildfire evacuations

AB.C. father and his 12-year-old daughter have been plagued by forest fires two summers in a row and fearlosing their home this time around.

On Wednesday, B.C.declareda state of emergency.

Jason Wettstein and daughter Ava live in the North Bonaparte plateau areanorth of Kamloops and can see the flames from the house they are building.

"I've made arrangements to get Ava out of here," Wettstein said, who evacuated his home during the fires last year and spent a month living in a hotel.

"I would like to stay a little longer even if evacuated, I would probably stay here with the hose and try to save my place."

The new, nearly-built two-storey house doesn't have insurance from the fires, because construction is not completely finished yet.

"A lot of people would call me an idiot and probably say there is a lot of risk involved there," he said. "But I feel like I will know when I should leave."

Evacuation orders

But as alerts and evacuation orders continue across the province, where around600 wildfires are burning, emergency organizations are urging British Columbians to prepare to leave if needed.

The Canadian Red Cross emphasized the safety risks of ignoring an evacuation order and urgedall people living near active fires to regularly check information from their local authority and Emergency Management B.C.

As of Aug, 14, there are 29 evacuation orders affecting approximately 3,050 people (1,521 properties) and 48 evacuation alerts impacting approximately 18,720 people (9,359 properties).

"One of the most important things for people to understand is knowing the risks of where they live," said Elysia Dempsey, the director of emergency management for the Canadian Red Cross in B.C.

Understanding the risk, preparing in time

Preparing for an emergency means communicating a strategy with family, friends and neighboursand preparing an emergency kit with supplies from pet food to personal documents to last at least 72 hours but ideally up to a week, she said.

The challenge is convincing people to take the message seriously.

"You can hear that message but, then, to actually put it into practice takes some time," Dempsey said.

"It's about actually understanding the risk and being prepared yourself. If you have those two things in place then hopefully the impact isn't as devastating."

Twelve-year-old Ava is getting ready to leave her home and father if needed, packing up clothes and other supplies.

"It's kind of scary," she said. [I'm scared] that we'll lose everything, and I can't bring my dog with me.He's going to have to stay here with my dad."

With files from Daybreak Kamloops and The Early Edition.

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