Six months after a devastating fire in Kelowna, residents are still displaced.
In July, a fire along Truswell Road devastated Water’s Edge, a new building home to about a hundred people, and the Walnut Grove Hotel, a lower-income complex.
“We lost everything, but it’s been a fantastic learning experience,” Water’s Edge strata president George Mapson said.
Part of the Water’s Edge complex that was hardest hit by fire is now demolished.
The rest was damaged by water from fire hoses, and every surface has since been stripped.
“It is a bit spooky when you peel back the onion and you see what you see here today,” Mapson said.
“It’s about a $30-million-plus loss, so it’s one of the largest losses of multi-family complexes in Kelowna’s history.”
Most residents are seniors and in temporary housing, Mapson said.
“Unfortunately, most people will have to leave their temporary housing in May or June because that’s when the summer tourists come in and the rent just goes sky high,” he said.
“We have to continue paying strata fees, we have to continue paying taxes, and you have to pay for your rental unit on top of that,” Mapson added.
“What people don’t realize is it’s not just the displacement. It’s the loss, especially when you’re a senior, loss of your lifelong possessions.”
Jim Matheson lived next door with his dog in Walnut Grove. He lost everything in his home too.
“Whether you have money or not, it’s still hard to relocate and find a place and deal with insurance and everything else,” he said.
“It’s some of the personal things that can’t be replaced whether you had insurance or not: stuff your parents had given you or your childhood stuff,” Matheson said.
Walnut Grove’s manager Dennis Kovacic said he’s still waiting to hear from the insurance company before anything can be rebuilt.
Meanwhile, at Water’s Edge, Mapson said the loss was also an opportunity.
“What’s also happening is it’s bound our community together. We have a very strong support network,” Mapson said, adding that they regularly have parties and happy hour together.
Rebuilding is expected to start mid-February, and residents are hoping to return in the summer of 2019, he said.
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