Hot News: Smith Creek info tidbits

Smith Creek info tidbits

As a result of the Smith Creek Fire, area evacuations and helicopter bucketing in Shannon Lake, the Regional District has now closed both Shannon Lake Regional Park and Rose Valley Regional Park.

These closures will remain in effect until further notice.

The Regional District apologizes for any inconvenience and encourages visits to any of our other Regional Parks.

The Smith Creek fire has taken a Telus tower offline in West Kelowna.

Liz Sauve at Telus said they are 'actively monitoring the situation and have a large local team working closely with emergency responders, local municipalities and BC Hydro.'

The site lost power due to the fire and the backup batteries have recently run dry.

Team members are in the area with a generator awaiting the all-clear from emergency crews to get the tower back up and running.

Sauve said that there is only one road that leads to the site and due to wind, which could sweep flames across the access point, it has been deemed unsafe.

To assist emergency responders Telus has brought in back-up cell sites on wheels that can be quickly transported to emergency crews or to bring wireless capacity to evacuation centres.

There are currently no threats to landline services at this time.

Telus is also bringing 500 'comfort kits' to the Interior region now which will be handed out to evacuees at Mount Boucherie Secondary School.

Despite the Smith Creek Fire, tonight's (Friday) Music in the Park Concert Series will go ahead as scheduled.

Treat yourself to a free concert this evening as alternative folk/rock/reggae band My Kind of Karma takes the main stage at West Kelowna's Memorial Park.

My Kind of Karma is an up-and-coming band based out of Kelowna which has released a full length album and toured to Toronto and back. Consisting of four Ontario men who now call Kelowna home, My Kind of Karma has enjoyed success in just over one year together. Find out more at www.mykindofkarma.ca.

The lineup for Music in the Park on July 18 is:

Talented Kid: 6:45 p.m. - Adrian Russouw Opening Act 7:00 p.m. - Tanya Ryan Headline Act: 8:00 p.m. - My Kind of Karma

Free, family friendly Music in the Park concerts take place every Friday night from 6:45 p.m. to 9 p.m. through August 29 at Memorial Park, adjacent to Johnson Bentley Memorial Aquatic Centre.

Music lovers will enjoy a variety of genres including country, pop, dance, and classical. Food and drink vendor services will be available throughout the event. West Kelowna Recreation staff will also be in the park with supervised games and activities for the kids.

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