The destruction of more than 50 buildings, either completely or partially, has been confirmed due to the McDougall Creek fire in West Kelowna.

Additionally, more help is on the way, with hundreds of firefighters from Mexico and South Africa scheduled to arrive.

For his part, Jason Brolund said at a press conference this morning that crews are systematically trying to clear the areas affected by the McDougall Creek fire to assess the damage.

He stated that we are not done yet and the most affected neighborhoods are still to come.

Brolund also added that the task of assessing the damage has been difficult because some address signs were destroyed by the fire and street signs melted, while downed power lines, destroyed roads, and fallen trees made access to some areas unsafe.

The cooler temperatures have helped firefighters make progress in battling the wildfires in the Kelowna area after several days of fluctuations. Meanwhile, the fires have caused a significant halt in the tourism industry in the region.

So far, there is no official count of the number of homes destroyed in British Columbia since the fires' activity escalated significantly last week, but officials have acknowledged that the damage is substantial.