Lindsay Hobbs, a former B.C. resident now living in Calgary, is watching on as a family member’s home has been put on evacuation notice.
Hobbs’ aunt and uncle, Lynn Dallaire Wall and Brian Wall, live in the West Bank/Glenrosa area, one of the areas where the fire is still burning.
“It’s hard because you want to be able to help, to do something for them, but there really isn’t anything that can be done other than to remind them that in the end it’s all just material possessions,” said Hobbs.
Hobbs said her aunt and uncle were woken up at 3 a.m. on Saturday and were alerted to prepare to leave. As of Monday, she hadn’t heard of any changes.
Hobbs grew up in Penticton, B.C., and has been on evacuation alert before, including during the 1994 Garnet Fire.
“It’s scary. You can’t help but think you might lose your entire house.”
The fire has also put a wrench into Hobbs’ summer vacation as she and her boyfriend were supposed to leave for Penticton today, but cannot get through because the fire has closed Highway 97.
Fire crews have finally gotten a handle on one of three massive wildfires burning in West Kelowna, bringing the blaze in Glenrosa to 60 per cent contained, officials said yesterday.
“There’s still a lot of fire out there and the temperatures are expected to be high (in the next few days) with no precipitation,” said Tim Neal, a fire information officer.
Two separate fires broke out in West Kelowna on Saturday — one near Glenrosa and the other near Rose Valley — and quickly spread to 350 hectares.
Crews are also battling a third fire on nearby Terrace Mountain.
They were likely started accidentally by human activity.
Around 11,000 have been forced to leave their homes and 6,000 others are on evacuation alert.
With files from Kristen Thompson
