Fire evacuees Leslie and Cam Leslie relax outside the Kal Tire Place (Vernon Matters photo)

By Kevin Rothwell

forced out of their homes

Fire evacuees getting help in Vernon

Aug 18, 2023 | 2:35 PM

A multi-agency force is on hand at Kal Tire Place to assist wildfire evacuees from surrounding communities, many coming from communities on the westside of Okanagan Lake and West Kelowna.

In addition to emergency service personnel, there was also staff from St. Johns Ambulance and the SPCA on hand to help.

Kal Tire Place is set-up to handle evacuees (Vernon Matters photo)

Cam and Leslie Leslie were evacuated late Thursday night from Wilson’s Landing, arriving at the emergency reception site around midnight.

“It wasn’t good. Just before it got dark, looking over our property to the south over the lake all the smoke was coming in from West Kelowna right over the top of us, starting to drop ash and everything else,” Cam Leslie told Vernon Matters.

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“Once it got dark, we got the evacuation notice to leave and it was probably good timing because when we did finish putting everything in the car that we had ready to go, when we got up to a high point, we could see the fire had jumped the lake.”

Leslie is on the Wilson’s Landing Emergency Preparedness committee.

“Don’t be brave, be prepared. We have door hangers that let emergency personnel know if someone needs help, and twice a year we send out information on being prepared, have a to-go-kit, and be prepared for the infrastructure burning around you,” Leslie added.

The couple was very glad to have somewhere to go.

“Vernon treatment has been absolutely incredible. We arrived here just before midnight and we were handled fairly quickly here. Unfortunately, because we were sort of the last part of the group, we ended up staying a fair ways out of town at a campground, but it all worked out well. We were able to have our pet looked after there, so now we are just getting organized with our insurance company to strike out on our own,” Leslie said.

For residents wanting to volunteer or to find out how to be prepared in the event of an evacuation click here.

by Kevin Rothwell

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