The mass evacuation of West Kelowna required residents to help each other as they moved away from the approaching fire.
“Everybody is looking out for everybody else and our kids went over to our neighbours, and they’re elderly, and helped them pack up a little bit of stuff,” said Glenrosa resident Mary Timm. She said generosity is taking many forms, including the area youth helping out emergency shelter volunteers.
“Lots of people are donating fruit and vegetables or blankets. It’s been really good as far as community support goes.”
Timm was in Enderby, B.C., when she first found out about the wildfires.
Her son David called her to notify her of the blaze behind the Gorman Bros. mill, but she said not to worry unless there was an evacuation call. “Within a half hour they were phoning me back and said, ‘Mom, we have to get out of here. (The fire) is next to us and we’re seeing houses go up in flames.’ They were very upset,” she said.
