While nearly all residents in Kaleden were allowed to return home at around noon Wednesday after a fire threatened dozens of structures, not everyone was lucky enough to have a home to return to.

Russell Layton香蕉视频直播檚 parents own the one home known to have been affected by a blaze that sparked in Kaleden late Tuesday afternoon, but they had been staying at another property in Okanagan Falls.

An initial evacuation order late Tuesday afternoon had 18 homes , while over 160 were on alert. That evacuation order was lifted at around noon on Wednesday, allowing all remaining property owners to return home.

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Layton said his parents stay in Okanagan Falls over the summers, while he stays at the Kaleden property, but he was working when the fire ignited, finding out about the fire in a call from his father.

香蕉视频直播淪o my buddy came and picked me up and we tried to come down here to get my truck out of here and my car out of here, but they wouldn香蕉视频直播檛 let us through, so I just had to sit out there kind of helpless,香蕉视频直播� Layton said.

香蕉视频直播淚t was more wondering what香蕉视频直播檚 going on, right? You don香蕉视频直播檛 know what香蕉视频直播檚 going to happen, I don香蕉视频直播檛 know where the fire香蕉视频直播檚 coming from if it香蕉视频直播檚 already taken the house and all the vehicles. That was my main concern.香蕉视频直播�

A friend provided a phone number for Layton to call from the Kaleden Fire Department, and a firefighter informed him that all of his vehicles and his boat were fine, but the house had been destroyed.

Before heading to a friend香蕉视频直播檚 place to spend the night, Layton said he and some friends decided to try some side roads to catch a glimpse of the fire and see the extent of the damage.

香蕉视频直播淲e drove along Eastside (Road) and didn香蕉视频直播檛 see anything and thought, OK, let香蕉视频直播檚 see if we can get down into Kaleden to see what香蕉视频直播檚 going on,香蕉视频直播� Layton said. 香蕉视频直播淲e got down here and the fire department香蕉视频直播檚 like, 香蕉视频直播榃ell, how did you get down here?香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈��

Despite losing his home, Layton had a sense of humour Tuesday afternoon about managing to get past the police and fire officials at around midnight, laughing about the incredulous reaction from the fire department.

香蕉视频直播淚 asked if it was OK to look (the house) over, and he kind of guided me around, and it was a just utter shock. Because when I tried to come down here, I wanted to grab some valuables and I wasn香蕉视频直播檛 allowed,香蕉视频直播� Layton said. 香蕉视频直播淟iterally everything that had value to me and my parents is gone.香蕉视频直播�

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Layton, who was cleaning up with a pair of friends Tuesday afternoon, said it was lucky that his parents and their dog were in Okanagan Falls when the fire sparked.

香蕉视频直播淭hey香蕉视频直播檙e about the same as me. They香蕉视频直播檙e upset. But there香蕉视频直播檚 nothing you can really do; the damage is done,香蕉视频直播� Layton said. 香蕉视频直播淭ime will tell to see what happens.香蕉视频直播�

Layton said he香蕉视频直播檚 mostly curious about how the fire started to get a bit of 香蕉视频直播減eace of mind香蕉视频直播� on what took his home away.

Fire officials said on Tuesday that the fire is believed to be human-caused because it wasn香蕉视频直播檛 caused by lightning. But an official cause of the fire is likely to be a long time coming, with crews still on mop-up on the fire.

Acting Fire Chief Denis Gaudry said on Wednesday that the fire is 100 per cent contained at this point, meaning crews have managed to ensure the 6.5-hectare wildfire likely won香蕉视频直播檛 spread beyond its current boundaries, save for unforeseen circumstances, like sudden high winds.

But Gaudry still expects some days of work to be done before firefighters can leave the area, with embers flying around and igniting small, smouldering patches. The patchy nature of the fire has meant difficulties for the department, as it has meant a lot of hiking around and searching for what could be small flames or a little smoke, hardly visible until it spreads.

Still, Gaudry said on Wednesday afternoon that he was feeling good about the work that firefighters had done. That work isn香蕉视频直播檛 lost on local residents, with everyone who spoke to the Western News giving high praise for the firefighters香蕉视频直播� work.

While Layton wasn香蕉视频直播檛 so lucky, at least two nearby homeowners, both within metres of Layton, said the fire just skirted their properties, with both losing a combined three sheds.

香蕉视频直播淚t probably started somewhere 300, 400 metres south of us. And with the strong winds, it came on our property really quickly. Probably within seconds,香蕉视频直播� said Larry Richardson, Layton香蕉视频直播檚 next-door neighbour.

Dan Wiebe香蕉视频直播檚 daughter香蕉视频直播檚 family lives across a small gully from Richardson and Layton, but Wiebe and his wife had arrived at the property mid-afternoon on Tuesday after celebrating his 75th birthday.

With his daughter and her family away, Wiebe said he and his wife were the only ones at the property at the time of the fire, which he said moved 香蕉视频直播渉orrendously fast.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淚 heard (my wife) screaming at me, 香蕉视频直播楪et up here.香蕉视频直播� She said, 香蕉视频直播楽omething香蕉视频直播檚 wrong: looks like fire,香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈�� Wiebe said. 香蕉视频直播淪he couldn香蕉视频直播檛 believe her eyes. 香蕉视频直播� Looked like the whole forested area and orchard part was blazing.香蕉视频直播�

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Wiebe said they 香蕉视频直播渟aid a quick prayer香蕉视频直播� and headed to the other side of the lake to watch the fire with binoculars, at one point watching one of his daughter香蕉视频直播檚 sheds catch fire.

香蕉视频直播淪ick,香蕉视频直播� he said of the feeling being away from the property while the fire was burning. 香蕉视频直播淵ou香蕉视频直播檝e totally lost your appetite.香蕉视频直播�

Meanwhile, Richardson said he made his way back into Kaleden to help out in any way he could.

香蕉视频直播淲hen I arrived, the flames were 20, 30 feet in the air,香蕉视频直播� Richardson said. 香蕉视频直播淚 came through the blockade to try and save what we could because I was told we probably had lost everything. So, I needed to see for myself, and the house was still standing. So, it was get to work right away.香蕉视频直播�

Richardson said it wasn香蕉视频直播檛 entirely an act of God that his house didn香蕉视频直播檛 catch fire.

香蕉视频直播淥ur house didn香蕉视频直播檛 burn because several years ago we did Hardie Board and metal roof,香蕉视频直播� he said, adding that it was a conscious decision about 12 years ago due to the high risk of fires in the area.

Wiebe, too, said some preparations may have saved his daughter香蕉视频直播檚 house, though perhaps of a more coincidental nature.

香蕉视频直播淲hat香蕉视频直播檚 very interesting about it, our kids left yesterday morning. Overnight, they had run a sprinkler on the roof, thinking, 香蕉视频直播榃ell, we香蕉视频直播檝e got to wet this thing down just in case something happens,香蕉视频直播� Wiebe said.

Still, the blaze made for an uneasy Tuesday night for Wiebe and his wife, who stayed at their son-in-law香蕉视频直播檚 parents香蕉视频直播� place in Penticton.

香蕉视频直播淟ast night wasn香蕉视频直播檛 good. It took a while to get to sleep, and I was very restless,香蕉视频直播� he said.

香蕉视频直播淏ecause it香蕉视频直播檚 on my mind how awful this is.香蕉视频直播�

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