Oliver, B.C. firefighters raise funds to help rebuild Loon Lake fire hall

It was all soap and suds at the Oliver Fire Department in the south Okanagan on Monday where firefighters traded in their hoses for wash clothes.

Firefighters raised $2,500 by holding a car wash to help rebuild the Loon Lake fire hall destroyed by the Elephant Hill wildfire last month.

“Their fire department up in the Cariboo are busy fighting wildfires and also their community was devastated by those fires as well as their fire department,” said spokesperson Rob Graham.

The 30-member volunteer fire department and their families scrubbed and soaked cars from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and offered free hot dogs and snacks to those who donated.

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A constant stream of vehicles lined up to support the cause.

“It’s a great cause to help a fire department that lost their hall up in Loon Lake and these guys do a great job,” said one donor.

“ Well, just for all fire departments, they do so much work, I know it’s something I couldn’t do,” said another driver.

All of the volunteer firefighters who spoke to Global News said they wanted to travel to the Cariboo region to assist in the wildfires, but given the hot and dry conditions in the south Okanagan the crew has to stay in town in case of an emergency.

“We really want to go help but we have our own area to worry about, we can’t get rid of resources in a time when we might need them as well,” said Graham.

The Loon Lake fire hall was one of many structures decimated by fire in the tight-knit recreational community north of Cache Creek.

It’s almost 400 kilometres away from Oliver but these firefighters say there is a unique camaraderie among small-town first responders.

“If the same had happened to us we would love if people could help us out because we’re just a small number of people in a small community,” said firefighter Kerry Pearle.