SUMMERLAND - Joel Patan says his “life is ashes” now, as he sifts the ruins of his home that was incinerated last month, along with most structures in the small community of Faulder outside Summerland, B.C.
“It’s just gut-wrenching,” he said.
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he → say → Summerland
Patan, who runs an HVAC company, said his family moved onto their “dream property” in December 2024, buying it after flipping two other homes.
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family → run → homes
He said there were once more than 80 homes in Faulder but most were destroyed by the Bald Range wildfire that roared eastward on the evening of Aug. 7, setting off an evacuation of thousands from the Okanagan communities.
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that → say → communities
An 80-year-old woman who lived in Meadow Valley nearby died suddenly during the evacuation, and Penticton RCMP said it was believed her death was “a result of the wildfire.”
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death → live → wildfire
“Running from a fire, grabbing everything you have, like I don’t think people understand.
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people → run → everything
When we talk about ‘we ran from a fire,’ we ran,” Patan said.
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Patan → talk → fire
“I had RCMP yelling at me, ‘get out of your house’ after I found the cat finally, (they were) basically saying, ‘the flames are right there.’”
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flames → have → cat
The Bald Range fire is still burning but is listed as under control by the B.C. Wildfire Service.
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fire → burn → Service
Wildfire activity is dying down as summer weather gives way to fall.
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weather → die → fall
And families like Patan’s now face the prospect of rebuilding and recovering from the devastation of losing the roof over their heads.
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families → face → heads
The wildfire season in B.C. has burned far less area than usual, just 1,350 square kilometres, only about a quarter of the 20-year average.
But it has been one of the most devastating seasons on record for property destruction, with more than 500 homes or other structures destroyed or damaged.
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homes → burn → destruction
About 150 of those were lost to the Bald Range fire, including 110 in Faulder and Meadow Valley, and 40 in the nearby Okanagan lakeside community of Summerland.
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150 → lose → Summerland
On the northern shores of Okanagan Lake, the Bradley Complex of fires near Vernon brought ruin right to the waterline, some residents watching from boats as their homes burned in early August.
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homes → bring → August
Some 230 homes on the lands of the Okanagan Indian Band were lost.
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homes → lose → Band
About 240 kilometres to the northwest, the Big Bar Complex of fires destroyed structures on around 120 properties outside Clinton, B.C., while the Brunswick Complex of fires outside Boston Bar in the Fraser Canyon, 200 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, damaged seven structures, four of them homes or cabins.
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four → destroy → them
The Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness said in a statement that “recovery looks different for each community and is led by local governments and First Nations with support from the province, federal partners, non-government organizations, businesses and community members.”
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recovery → say → province
It said it has assigned “community recovery officers” to work with impacted areas and will “continue supporting local governments and First Nations as they lead recovery efforts in their communities, including through recovery planning, governance, co-ordination and available supports.”
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they → say → planning
Access to Faulder is still restricted, with a checkpoint allowing people in only if they have a permit.
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they → restrict → permit
Private security guards roam the community to protect against looting.
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guards → roam → looting
Blackened trees line Princeton-Summerland Road to Faulder, where homes have been reduced to their foundations, with burnt shells of vehicles a common sight along the winding road into the hills above the valley.
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shells → line → valley
Patan said he’s now dealing with his insurer, considering himself lucky since many Faulder residents were either uninsured or underinsured and are now focused on survival.
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residents → say → survival
The cleanup of damaged properties, he said, also has to factor in other potential hazards, including silica dust, asbestos and other potential contaminants like lead and mercury.
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he → damage → lead
“People are trying to bring their trailers in with no water and that’s another scary thing.
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that → try → water
They’re bringing in trailers.
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They → bring → trailers
Some people don’t have electrical.
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people → have → electrical
We don’t an adequate source of water right now … but people need somewhere to live.”
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people → do → water
The smell of the fire still hangs in the air around the charred foundation of Patan’s home.
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smell → hang → home
Broken glass and other debris crunches and cracks under his feet as he surveys the ruin.
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he → crunch → ruin
Patan descends the stairs into what used to be his basement, pointing out one of his daughter’s porcelain doll’s head in the rubble.
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what → descend → rubble
“You’re standing in what above me was my master bedroom,” he said, his arms outstretched to the sky.
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arms → stand → sky
Exactly how far his insurance will go is an open question, but he laments all that was lost in the evacuation, including one of his daughter’s first pair of shoes.
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that → go → shoes
Soft-spoken Patan said even though there have been tears and grief, he’s optimistic, a childhood trait.
“My Mom and Dad would tell you, when I had a bad day, I would wake up the next day like it never happened,” he said.
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he → say → day
“We’ll build a house that is good for wildfire interface, good for our family, still the same four bedrooms, three baths, things that we may have not liked about our house, we’ll repair, we may fix, but again, we have to see within the confines of our insurance, but whatever we can do to get back what we had, and then it’s just a new beginning, and we just move forward.”
uncertain
we → build → what
“I will buy my daughters every toy they want,” he added.
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he → buy → toy
TRYING TO EASE BURDEN OF RECOVERY
Erick Thompson, senior manager of communications and engagement with the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen, said the focus is both on recovery and “providing support to those people who have lost property, lost a home, lost outbuildings.”
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who → try → outbuildings
“Recovery is a long phase and there’s a lot that goes along with that,” he said.
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he → ’ → that
“Remediation of properties, removal of debris, so the RDOS is helping with other agencies to co-ordinate a lot of that.”
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RDOS → help → that
“But in the aftermath of this wildfire, recovery is always a challenge and when people have lost a home, especially if they’re not insured, the local government’s role is to advocate for them.”
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role → lose → them
He said the Union of British Columbia Municipalities convention in Vancouver last week saw regional district staff advocating for things like waiving provincial sales tax for people trying to rebuild and help with debris removal.
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staff → say → removal
The regional district said in a statement on Monday that officials at the convention “emphasized the need for measures that help reduce the financial burden on residents rebuilding homes, properties, and livelihoods.”
Relief from provincial sales tax, it said, is “a critical area for provincial consideration.”
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it → say → consideration
…and 52 more, not listed.
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