B.C. wildfire evacuees return home to asses damages, rebuild

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At the age of 52, Steve Larabie is facing the daunting task of rebuilding his home and business from scratch after losing everything when ferocious wildfires roared into the outskirts of Clinton, B.C., last month.

“It’s all gone. I have nothing left. Nothing,” Larabie said in an interview on Saturday.

“I’m more sad that my children have to see their home is gone,” he added.

Larabie, his wife and their children made it out safely, but they lost their two homes and their towing business on their property three kilometres south of the village.

More wildfire evacuees in British Columbia were allowed to return home Saturday, as emergency officials downgraded evacuation orders to alerts around the community of Clinton.

But for many, there aren’t homes to return to.

Larabie said he probably has to sleep in tents for a while.

“What else am I supposed to do?” he asked.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District said areas west of the town remained under evacuation orders due to the continued threat posed by the Pear Lake wildfire.

In a video posted to YouTube, Clinton Mayor Roland Stanke said even though people are being allowed home, they will be returning to a community that has been profoundly affected, with the services people normally rely on limited or unavailable, and the threat of wildfire season still looming.

Although Larabie lost everything in flames, he is still eager to step up to help the community, saying he has been offering to pick up fridges and freezers free of charge to support others.

Nicholas Kosovic, who runs The Stagecoach Cafe in Clinton with his mother, Maria, said he was also “super duper busy” on Saturday. He had just finished the “intense” process of cleaning out his store’s freezers and fridges.

“Everything was spoiled in our fridges, of course,” said Kosovic, who had to evacuate weeks ago as gusty winds pushed the fire over the southern hills of the village.

He said fire crews are still working in and around town, stomping out hot spots. On the south side of Clinton, homes have been burned out.

“It is going to be a kind of bittersweet mix of emotions in the next week, on the first day, and for the months ahead, but the community is already coming together,” he said.

“We’re going to be able to get through this.”

Inside the early battle against the ferocious Bald Range wildfire

Meanwhile, evacuation orders for parts of Summerland and Peachland on the shores of Okanagan Lake are slowly starting to lift, about a week after the Bald Range fire forced the evacuation of more than 20,000 people.

The fire is one of about 120 fires burning in the province, with 38 per cent of those labelled as out of control.

Erin Trainer, deputy mayor and councillor in Summerland, returned to her home in Trout Creek on Saturday morning and buried herself in chores right away, from loading up the laundry to sweeping up ashes on the deck.

“It was a week of just up and down and up and down, and you know, so many people are helping, and there are so many kind things happening, but then you’re just seeing houses burn,” said Trainer.

“After a while you just feel numb.”

A re-entry guide posted by the District of Summerland said some homes and properties don’t have power, and the district is still under a boil-water notice with water restrictions.

Officials warned those returning that there are several bears in the Trout Creek area and residents need to dispose of their spoiled food properly.

When the Bald Range broke out on Aug. 7, Trainer’s husband, Erick Thompson, senior manager of communications for the regional district of Okanagan-Similkameen, was in Penticton busy helping with fire communications.

Trainer said he raced home to help her pack up and get everybody out of the house, including their three children, dog Lola, two cats – called Pumpkin and Prune – and a hamster called Mew.

Trainer said the houses in her neighbourhood are still standing, although they are covered in layers of ash. She said her husband is still working, and they have barely seen each other since the fire broke out.

Her heart breaks for people who lost their places.

“Those are the people that are going to need all of us over the next while as we try to help them rebuild,” said Trainer.

An update from BC Wildfire Service said weather conditions remain variable across the province, with hot and dry weather lingering in the northwestern and southern regions while the southeastern part of the province will continue to see cooler temperatures and scattered showers.

The service said wildfire smoke is expected to gradually move back into central areas of B.C. over the weekend, which it noted could help moderate fire behaviour by reducing the amount of radiant heat reaching the landscape.

B.C.’s fire season started fast and early, and already about 400 buildings have been destroyed, including about 230 homes on the Okanagan Indian Band reserve that were lost in the Bradley Creek wildfire.

Thousands of residents are still out of their homes, with 45 separate evacuation orders issued for numerous fires burning in the southern one-third of the province

Back in Clinton, Kosovic said he will cook all day to make sure that their cafe’s stock is up. He also said he will keep himself busy on Sunday by picking up fridges with Larabie and cleaning them up.

“I’m just eager to get to work,” Kosovic said.

Looking ahead, Larabie still clung to hope.

“I worked hard my whole life, and now I have nothing. I never once turned anybody down. I never said I wouldn’t help anybody. I always helped people. I always did everything I could to make sure that anybody that had no food had food,” Larabie said.

“You know what? I will make it. I will survive, and I will get through this, and I will rebuild either by myself with my own two hands, or with the help of others,” he added.