In the aftermath of the pandemic, news cycles returned to their regular ebb and flow, though this year in the Okanagan, no one made more headlines than Mother Nature.
Of the top most-read stories in the valley, half involved summer wildfires that destroyed hundreds of homes and devastated communities. Another one was about a winter snowfall warning for Interior highways.
The most read story happened Aug. 17, as the fire positioned itself to rip through West Kelowna and some 2,500 people were forced from their homes.“All of the predictions we expected came true,” West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund said in a media briefing that evening.
“I remain gravely concerned for the fire and where it’s going and how it’s going to affect our community. Tonight is going to be a difficult night.”
Those words turned out to be an understatement.
Shortly after West Kelowna residents were told to flee, the fire did the unexpected. Embers traversed Okanagan Lake and ignited fires in both Kelowna and Lake Country.
The second most read stories about the fires followed news that a state of emergency was declared in Kelowna, and evacuations were underway in two neighbourhoods, as two wildfires flared.
Within days of the fire first sending people from their homes, many had an idea about the devastation wrought. Winds whipped the fire into an inferno as it moved across the region causing what Brolund described as “gut-wrenching” damage.
Among the buildings destroyed by McDougall Creek wildfire was Lake Okanagan Resort, the third most-read story among fire stories.
At that time Brolund said he wasn’t willing to speculate about how many properties were scorched in the blaze ahead of jumping back into the firefight, saying only “We will start counting when we stop losing.”
Wayne Carson, North Westside Central Okanagan Regional District director, had a firsthand view of the damage and his constituents have been sending him pictures of what was lost.
“In my area, I know Traders Cove and Wilsons Landing are substantially damaged, and I know there’s been a fire at Lake Okanagan Resort,” Carson, a former fire chief of the area, said.
“I know the shoreline buildings are burnt, and for the fire to have reached the shoreline it would have to have gone through the main building, so I would have to assume there would be damage to the resort and the buildings.”
It took five days until officials finally offered some insight into the number of properties lost, though it would be weeks more until people learned whether their homes were spared.
“We haven’t seen (the mountains) since the fire and it might be pretty dramatic to start to see what we’ve lost out there,” Brolund said on Aug. 22, during the fire update about the Grouse Complex of wildfires that threw Kelowna, West Kelowna and Lake Country into turmoil.
B.C. wildfires: West Kelowna residents discovering homes destroyed
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Massive swaths of land were scorched and Brolund said the fire took nearly 100 structures in his area. He said fewer than 70 homes were lost in West Kelowna and fewer than 20 were lost in Westbank.
In Kelowna, there were three houses and two outbuildings lost and in Lake Country there were three homes lost. In areas of the regional district like Traders Cove, and Lake Okanagan Resort, there are an estimated 100 structures lost.
By Aug. 20, firefighters said they’d turned a corner, and that’s the last of the wildfire-related stories in the Top 10.
Calmer, cooler conditions allowed crews to make gains on the front lines of fires also burning in the Central Okanagan but the fight is far from over, officials warned.
While wildfires occupied Global Okanagan’s viewers, there were more stories of bravery in the face of crisis and economic ups and downs on the list.
The only pandemic-related story to make the list was about a man who was compensated for vaccine injury.
Julian Scholefield received his first Pfizer vaccination shot in May of 2021. Six months later, he even went back for his second shot and said everything was fine, adding he didn’t even have a sore arm after getting the injection.
Two weeks later, though, the Okanagan man said things took a turn for the worse when he and his family were enjoying a day out on the lake.
Doctors finally diagnosed him with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis or ADEM and compensation followed. The amount he received wasn’t disclosed.
Since June 2021, more than 1,200 vaccine injury claims have been reported. But of those, only 50 claims have been approved by the medical review board.
The seventh most-read story was a sign of the times, or maybe better put, a sign of the crimes that plagued the community.
After seeing how many people have been affected by catalytic converter thefts, and just how bad the problem has become, an Okanagan man got to work, creating a device to prevent the crime.He called it the Converter Defender.
Lake Country resident Rod Newlove hoped his new device would help lower the number of catalytic converter thefts. The idea is to arm the vehicle with another alarm that detects any touch or vibration when the ignition is turned off.
While petty crimes were on the rise, there were also other signs of economic hardship, and that was the eighth most-read story.
Known for creating engineered wood products, also known as mass timber, Structurlam of Penticton announced in April that it had entered into a purchase agreement to sell all of its assets in B.C. and Arkansas for $60 million US.
Mass timber is wood that’s been glued or laminated together, then digitally cut out in various shapes, sizes and lengths. Those custom pieces are then shipped and precisely assembled on-site.
The deal, known as a stalking horse asset purchase agreement, is with Mercer International of Vancouver.
The ninth most-read story turned heads in large part for how it played into Okanagan’s continual housing issues.
The Town of Osoyoos, B.C., is working to address community housing needs through a unique program that offers housing for below market value. Moderate-income working families can apply under the Near Market Housing Program to purchase a house in Phase 2 of the Southeast Meadowlark Plan Area.
According to Gina MacKay, Director of Planning and Development, under the program, two duplexes (four units) and one single-family home within Phase 2 will be offered at 15 per cent below market value.
Rounding out the top 10 was a story that pulled at the heartstrings of British Columbians.
Trevor Pierce of Williams Lake, B.C., died following a freak accident while trying to load a snowmobile onto a truck for an upcoming trip.
An outdoor enthusiast, the 33-year-old was riding up the ramp when it fell down and then snapped back up, hitting him in the head.
He was declared brain-dead on Feb. 28.
Five days after that, 13 people benefitted from Trevor’s death via organ transplants. He leaves behind his wife and four children.
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