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West Kelowna Fire rescue individual from Powers Creek

The incident occurred on June 13 during heavy rains in the area
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West Kelowna fire crews rescued a girl who fell into Powers Creek on June 13. (West Kelowna Fire Rescue)

West Kelowna Fire Rescue (WKFR) is warning residents to keep their distance from rivers and creeks during heavy rains after the team rescued an individual from Powers Creek over the weekend.

According to the fire department, they were dispatched to the 2700-block of Highway 97 where it crosses Powers Creek at around 8:30 p.m.

The individual was too close to the rain-swollen riverbank and was caught by the current. She was then swept into the large culvert under the highway.

“The patient was very fortunate to make it through the culvert without impediment and released on the opposite side of the highway,” the fire department wrote in a release.

They added the girl found a rock, pulled herself up onto it and waited for help. Crews then made their way out to the rock, gave her a life jacket and helped her get out.

The team transferred her into a basket stretcher once they reached shore, then used a rope retrieval system to raise them up and transfer the girl into a waiting ambulance.

She was treated and taken to Kelowna General Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Currently, there is a high streamflow advisory throughout the Okanagan, issued by the River Forecast Centre. Localized thunderstorms that caused heavy downpours Friday night and throughout Saturday caused rivers and creeks to rise rapidly. WKFR is urging the public to steer clear of fast-flowing rivers and creeks, as riverbanks may be unstable during this time.

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Twila Amato
Video journalist, Black Press Okanagan
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Twila Amato

About the Author: Twila Amato

Twila was a radio reporter based in northern Vancouver Island. She won the Jack Webster Student Journalism Award while at BCIT and received a degree in ancient and modern Greek history from McGill University.
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