Firefighters recount the worst week of the worst year in B.C. for wildfires.
Zydowicz and the other firefighters fled north to keep ahead of the fire, but as soon as the wind died down, they returned to the devastated communities along Westside Road. “W
Paul Zydowicz is chief of the Wilson’s Landing Fire Department in the Regional District of Central Okanagan.He, like most of the other firefighters, moved to a local hotel while his wife and two children stayed with relatives. In addition to losing his house, the fire destroyedhave been set up for other Wilson’s Landing firefighters who lost everything and continued to fight the fire.
“It was a devastating night last night, probably one of the toughest of my career,” he said, his voice weary. “We fought 100 years worth of fires all in one night.” Also that afternoon, West Kelowna firefighters fought a ground fire threatening a gas storage facility, a mobile home park and several new condominium developments.
Less than 12 km from the camp, the Lower East Adams Lake fire was also picking up intensity near the Interfor Adams Lake Mill, where structure-protection equipment had earlier been set up by the B.C. Wildfire Service. Two of its crew stayed at the mill that night to ensure sprinklers and other gear continued to work, along with some mill workers.
The fire that blew into this region “was something I’ve never seen before,” the district’s deputy regional fire chief, Sean Coubrough, said in a“When I saw the flames coming that day, it was something bigger than any of us could handle,” he said, standing in front of the Celista fire department. Some North Shuswap residents defied evacuation orders to protect their properties, and complained that authorities have stopped them from leaving to get more fuel and food, and stopped supporters from bringing supplies in.Article contentPhoto by Jim Cooperman“Some of us have stayed behind and we’re, I’d say we’re doing a pretty darn good job,” Magna Bay resident Ross RathbonePostmedia’s Derrick Penner. “Our biggest problem right now is … a lack of co-operation from the province.
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