B.C. wildfire evacuees help out the crews protecting their homes
A group of evacuees forced from their homes by the Keremeos Creek wildfire in B.C.'s south Okanagan has been raising money to provide coffee, water, donuts and other snacks to crews from nearby communities who are helping protect their properties.
The BC Wildfire Service says 160 firefighters from small departments are on the ground in Keremeos and Olalla working primarily to protect homes and businesses from the out-of-control wildfire.
Jordan Olsoff fled her Olalla home with her three kids, their two dogs and six chickens, and as many of important possessions as the family could fit in the car.
They don’t know what they’ll find when they return.
“It’s hard. It’s been stressful because my husband’s been away at work, too, so a lot of this I’ve been doing on my own,” she said through tears. “It’s been…gosh, I don’t even know what day it is right now…It’s been a week and a bit since we went on alert and since we left and it’s just been really stressful.”
Thankfully she and her children are able to stay with a friend, but she says she feels bad about imposing.
Monday she was at a temporary fire evacuee centre set up in Keremeos to check if it was possible for her family to move into a hotel.
If that doesn’t happen, she may take her family to Kamloops to stay with relatives but she’s reluctant to do that because that leaves her too far away to get to work.
Even with everything she’s going through and trying to manage right now, she has still found the time and energy to give something back to the firefighters.
She’s been taking up a collection in the community and using the money to make sure the firefighters are hydrated and energized.
“Just to show our appreciation. Thank you for doing what you can to try and save all the homes out there. I know somebody did lose their home and it was very, very sad,” she said.
One home was lost last weekend but the BC Wildfire Service says it has managed to keep the fire away from other properties since.
A total of 405 personnel are assigned to the fire and they’re being supported by 16 helicopters and some fixed-wing aircraft.
A camp has been set up at the airport in Oliver where the firefighters can sleep on the ground in tents between shifts spent fighting the wildfire which has scorched over 5900 hectares so far.
“It’s a very complex, complicated fire because it has burned into a bunch of different neighbourhood areas, different farm areas, along Highway 3A,” said Bryan Zanberg, a fire information officer.
“It’s also in these deep valleys and very hard to reach terrain. So, we’ve got all kinds of firefighting going on right now.”
He said crews in Olalla, where Olsoff’s home is at risk, have been building guards around the neighbourhood in order to separate the fire from residential areas.
The daytime highs have been in the mid-to-high 30s ever since this fire started -- nearly unbearable conditions for the firefighters toiling away with hand tools.
“The heat has been one of our biggest concerns these last few days,” said Zanberg. “Really having to make sure crews take lots of breaks, drink a lot, and people are looking after each other and making sure they are not overexerting themselves.”
That’s what makes small gestures like the ones being organized by Olsoff and her neighbours so touching.
“It is heart-warming but it also kind of rips you a little bit too because people are out of their homes, ” said Zanberg. “I think it’s pretty motivating.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.