AFP
“Ready to flee”: in southern Canada, facing the advance of the fire
Shani and Matt Ekman abandoned their fire-threatened home in southern Canada and found refuge with relatives. But the fire is also approaching, and the couple fear they will have to go even further. “We are ready to flee,” Matt Ekman, 37, told AFP in West Kelowna, British Columbia. settled 14 months ago in this small town of 30,000 inhabitants, whose region is full of lakes, pine forests and mountains. Now, smoke and incessant ash rain dominate the landscape and paralyze or reduce commercial activities. Thousands of inhabitants have been evacuated and have taken refuge in hotels or with relatives. Thousands of others are on the alert, awaiting a possible alert to evacuate. A few residents, most without masks despite the polluted air, walk their dogs on the sidewalk. A small number of cars circulate with their headlights on and several roads are closed. – “It’s terrifying” -Visibility is practically zero a few meters away. It is further recommended not to consume running water, even boiled. “It’s terrifying,” says Shani Ekman of the burning smell that permeates everything and the smoke that obscures the sky of what was still a few days ago their paradise. She adds: “Friday evening, we did not know if we would have news on Saturday, but we had some: the house is still intact”. passports, photos, a few spare linens and her pets, says she is optimistic about the improved weather conditions. “But anything can happen,” says Shani Ekman, who also wanted to take her wedding dress. Firefighters are battling two large fires that have coalesced in the area and burned down several properties, authorities said. However, they are not yet able to assess all the damage. Greg Heck, who has lived in the region for thirty years, has experienced several fires. “But this one is the most voracious,” he said as, before his eyes, several helicopters refueled in Lake Shannon before leaving to fight hell. Heck, a retired emergency services employee, cleans his ash-covered car, in which he and his wife have crammed a week’s worth of clothes, medicine and hygiene products. “We’re ready, but hopefully it won’t come to that,” he hopes. The blaze, whose flames can’t be seen from West Kelowna, monopolizes conversations in the few bars that have remained open and hotels where many of evacuees have been relocated.- Thank you to the firefighters -Several businesses in the city display messages of thanks to the firefighters on their fronts. A church invites residents to seek comfort in reading the gospels. Despite the threat, most of those interviewed by AFP remain calm, consider themselves lucky, and assure that they will have time to evacuate “without panic “If the worst should happen. Every hour I make sure we are only on high alert and monitor social media to see if family and friends are safe,” Tina Gilmore tells All walking his dog Turkish. “Everyone is doing a great job.” In the Jim Lind sports hall, evacuees with nowhere to go can register with the authorities. At the entrance, volunteers distribute water, food and hygiene products to them. “I think the main thing for many is to hear a kind word and receive a bottle of water during think about what they’re going to do next,” says Trevor Freeman, manager of the Central Okanagan Community Food Bank. “I’m glad to see something like that, that people pull together. is that, being a country”, welcomes, after collecting water and food, Dawson Robertson, who was evacuated with his family on Friday and spent the last two nights in his car with his fiancée. Shay Nicole and Paryss Fiddler decided to camp with their family in the gym parking lot because they couldn’t find a place to stay with their pets. cold nights and no bathroom. “We don’t know how long we will have to stay here,” laments Shay, 33. “I don’t even know what happens to my house or if I will be able to go home soon”.pr/ybl/roc/tmt
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