Former Kelowna-Lake Country Liberal MP Stephen Fuhr is still picking up the pieces after losing his home in the Trader's Cove area to the McDougall Creek wildfire.
"I was like, 'Oh dear, that's going to be a problem.' I looked at the aviation forecast, and it showed the winds increasing and changing direction that would threaten the house even more."
Fuhr says he was in Vancouver when he first got wind of the danger to his home and he didn't waste any time trying to get back to gather what belongings he could.
"I jumped in the car and by the time I got home, it was literally 20 minutes from the time I got here to when the (evacuation) alert moved to an order. So I didn't have a ton of time."
Fuhr says he lost everything in the fire when the winds shifted on Friday afternoon.
"It's still starting over starting at zero, it's a big deal. I had good insurance, and they've been fantastic. But I lost a lot of things that I won't be able to replace. I just kind of saved little treasures and little mementos all the way along. All that stuff's gone. I had a model of every airplane that I've ever been a captain on," says Fuhr.
While some people in his community may choose not to rebuild, Fuhr says he's already started the process; "right now, from 10 to 2 p.m. today, they're letting people back into their houses, I'm going to try and get to my property just to have another look at it. But I'm thinking about the rebuilding process. That's how I'm kind of avoiding getting dragged into the ditch of mentally thinking about all the things that are gone. I'm just focused on the future.
"I just decided that I'm gonna focus my energy and my thought process on moving forward. The big-ticket items moving forward will really kind of land at the municipal level of government, in my case, and many others that have to rebuild and permitting, and... all the things that you're going to need to get that house back, you know, rebuilt and back standing. A lot of that will depend on how fast the municipality can react to applications for permits."
Fuhr says he has already spoken to West Kelowna Mayor Gord Milsom and he has assurances that the municipality will do everything in its power to make the rebuilding process as easy as possible. "I'm encouraged by the recognition of how important this is to everybody involved."
It will take some time before the rebuilding process can begin but Fuhr says he's not discouraged by recent fire activity in southern B.C. "I don't feel unsafe, I guess there's always a risk. This time around, I will take some of those risks into consideration with maybe the materials that I use. Obviously, all the trees are burnt down. So, right there. That's a bit of a mitigation."
If there is a positive side to wildfire ravaging a community it would be that the fire uses up any unspent fuels that have built up over the years.
"I think a lot of that fuel that was sitting there is gone. A lot of the things that were standing around the homes, the trees that were there, they are gone," Fuhr says.
While everyone who lost their homes will be going through different emotions, Fuhr points to the homes that were lost in southeast Kelowna during the 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park wildfire; "there's lots of examples where people are displaced by wildfire, and they've rebuilt. I don't see how that would be any different now. I think (insurance) rates are just gonna go up for everybody."
If things go according to plan, Fuhr hopes to have his new home rebuilt in 18 months.
"The big thing is, once you do that, you want to make sure that you continue to get insurance and protect yourself," says Fuhr.
