B.C. wildfire evacuees return home to face destruction and slow rebuilds

Evacuees in British Columbia began returning to their homes over the weekend as wildfire emergency officials downgraded evacuation orders to alerts around Clinton and gradually eased restrictions near Summerland and Peachland. But for many, there are no homes to return to.

Steve Larabie, 52, lost everything when the Pear Lake wildfire roared into the outskirts of Clinton last month. His two homes, his towing business on the property three kilometres south of the village — all gone. His family escaped safely, but he said he'll likely sleep in tents for a while. "I have nothing left. Nothing," he told reporters Saturday. "I'm more sad that my children have to see their home is gone."

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District said areas west of Clinton remained under evacuation orders due to continued threat from the Pear Lake wildfire. Clinton Mayor Roland Stanke warned in a video that even those being allowed home are returning to a community profoundly affected, with services limited or unavailable and wildfire season still looming.

Despite losing everything, Larabie has been offering to pick up fridges and freezers free of charge to help others. Nicholas Kosovic, who runs The Stagecoach Cafe in Clinton with his mother Maria, faced the intense work of cleaning out spoiled refrigerators and freezers after weeks of evacuation. Fire crews remain in the area, still stomping out hot spots. Homes on Clinton's south side have been burned out entirely.

"It is going to be a kind of bittersweet mix of emotions in the next week, on the first day, and for the months ahead, but the community is already coming together," Kosovic said. "We're going to be able to get through this."

South of Clinton, evacuation orders for parts of Summerland and Peachland on Okanagan Lake shores are slowly lifting, roughly a week after the Bald Range fire forced evacuation of more than 20,000 people. Summerland deputy mayor Erin Trainer returned to her Trout Creek home Saturday morning to find it covered in layers of ash but still standing. The district issued a re-entry guide warning of bears in the Trout Creek area and cautioning residents to dispose of spoiled food properly. Some homes lack power, and the district remains under a boil-water notice with water restrictions in place.

About 120 fires are burning across the province, with 38 per cent labelled as out of control. The province has already lost about 400 buildings to wildfire this season, including about 230 homes on the Okanagan Indian Band reserve destroyed in the Bradley Creek wildfire. Thousands of residents remain out of their homes, with 45 separate evacuation orders issued across the southern third of B.C.

Weather conditions remain variable across the province, with hot and dry weather lingering in northwestern and southern regions while the southeastern part will continue to see cooler temperatures and scattered showers.