‘I was just in utter shock’ Kaleden resident recounts losing home in wildfire

Twenty-one-year-old Russel Layton’s home he grew up in has been reduced to rubble.

The Kaleden home was the only residence destroyed in a 6.5 hectare wildfire on Tuesday afternoon.

Layton said he was at work when he received a frantic call from a family member that the hillside was on fire.

He rushed home only to be stopped at a road block.

“I just kind of sat on the sidewalk, helpless, thinking what’s happening, is the house gone already? Are the vehicles there? All those questions start running through your head,” he said.

Layton’s parents own the home and were staying at their summer house in Okanagan Falls at the time.

The blaze prompted the evacuation of 18 homes and also destroyed several outbuildings.

Kaleden resident Barbra Paterson told Global News fire investigators were focused on an area where a foundation of a former home lies on the property of an orchard that hasn’t been maintained for atleast a decade.

“Over the years we’ve had squatters and people who have just camped there for alittle bit… we didn’t see any sign of that,” she said.

Acting Kaleden fire chief Denis Gaudry said it could be months before BC Wildfire Service investigators determine the cause.

“I’ve heard rumours that it could’ve been a barbeque, I’ve heard rumours it could have been a campfire, all of that stuff, from my perspective are just that,” he said.

As for Layton, he said insurance will cover the losses and the family plans to rebuild.

“It’s hard but you just kind of got to put a smile on your face and put your chin up,” he said.