Paul Zydowicz, fire chief of the Wilson's Landing Fire Department, was one of 13 members of his crew that lost their homes to a wildfire in 2023.
Thirteen firefighters’ homes were wiped out by wildfires in B.C. last summer. They’re now preparing for another fire season as they continue to rebuild their community.Paul Zydowicz, fire chief of the Wilson's Landing Fire Department, was one of 13 members of his crew that lost their homes to a wildfire in 2023. In August 2023, the McDougall Creek wildfire was wreaking havoc in the Okanagan region of British Columbia.
"That's a tremendous hit on an emotionally personal level and also to the fire department," Zydowicz said. "When you have our weekly practices and you see the faces and you know what they've lost, that hurts." But all the firefighters have chosen to keep living and working in their community, as they stare down another potentially destructive wildfire season.
"The first couple months, I couldn't read a book, I couldn't listen to a podcast," deGooyer said. "Not because I was upset, your brain is so busy processing that you just don't have the mental energy for any of the things that you normally would do in your downtime."Zydowicz and his wife Kathleen Zydowicz are in a similar situation.
"Often in smaller, more remote communities, there's an interconnectedness that isn't always there in the city," said Jennifer Henson, an officer at the Westbank Salvation Army who supported the firefighters along with her husband.Community rallies around 13 firefighters who lost their homes while protecting others
Federal officials are warning Canada could face another destructive wildfire season because of an unusually warm winter and widespread drought conditions.Zydowicz says provincial and regional fire officials have shared forecasting with him that shows it's drier and hotter than it was last year at this time.
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