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害羞草研究所檚 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.

Related:

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.

害羞草研究所淪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害羞草研究所檛 let us through, so I just had to sit out there kind of helpless,害羞草研究所� Layton said.

害羞草研究所淚t was more wondering what害羞草研究所檚 going on, right? You don害羞草研究所檛 know what害羞草研究所檚 going to happen, I don害羞草研究所檛 know where the fire害羞草研究所檚 coming from if it害羞草研究所檚 already taken the house and all the vehicles. That was my main concern.害羞草研究所�

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害羞草研究所檚 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.

害羞草研究所淲e drove along Eastside (Road) and didn害羞草研究所檛 see anything and thought, OK, let害羞草研究所檚 see if we can get down into Kaleden to see what害羞草研究所檚 going on,害羞草研究所� Layton said. 害羞草研究所淲e got down here and the fire department害羞草研究所檚 like, 害羞草研究所榃ell, how did you get down here?害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟

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.

害羞草研究所淚 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害羞草研究所檛 allowed,害羞草研究所� Layton said. 害羞草研究所淟iterally everything that had value to me and my parents is gone.害羞草研究所�

Related:

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.

害羞草研究所淭hey害羞草研究所檙e about the same as me. They害羞草研究所檙e upset. But there害羞草研究所檚 nothing you can really do; the damage is done,害羞草研究所� Layton said. 害羞草研究所淭ime will tell to see what happens.害羞草研究所�

Layton said he害羞草研究所檚 mostly curious about how the fire started to get a bit of 害羞草研究所減eace of mind害羞草研究所� on what took his home away.

Fire officials said on Tuesday that the fire is believed to be human-caused because it wasn害羞草研究所檛 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害羞草研究所檛 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害羞草研究所檛 lost on local residents, with everyone who spoke to the Western News giving high praise for the firefighters害羞草研究所� work.

While Layton wasn害羞草研究所檛 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.

害羞草研究所淚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,害羞草研究所� said Larry Richardson, Layton害羞草研究所檚 next-door neighbour.

Dan Wiebe害羞草研究所檚 daughter害羞草研究所檚 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 害羞草研究所渉orrendously fast.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淚 heard (my wife) screaming at me, 害羞草研究所楪et up here.害羞草研究所� She said, 害羞草研究所楽omething害羞草研究所檚 wrong: looks like fire,害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟 Wiebe said. 害羞草研究所淪he couldn害羞草研究所檛 believe her eyes. 害羞草研究所� Looked like the whole forested area and orchard part was blazing.害羞草研究所�

Related:

Wiebe said they 害羞草研究所渟aid a quick prayer害羞草研究所� and headed to the other side of the lake to watch the fire with binoculars, at one point watching one of his daughter害羞草研究所檚 sheds catch fire.

害羞草研究所淪ick,害羞草研究所� he said of the feeling being away from the property while the fire was burning. 害羞草研究所淵ou害羞草研究所檝e totally lost your appetite.害羞草研究所�

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

害羞草研究所淲hen I arrived, the flames were 20, 30 feet in the air,害羞草研究所� Richardson said. 害羞草研究所淚 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.害羞草研究所�

Richardson said it wasn害羞草研究所檛 entirely an act of God that his house didn害羞草研究所檛 catch fire.

害羞草研究所淥ur house didn害羞草研究所檛 burn because several years ago we did Hardie Board and metal roof,害羞草研究所� 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害羞草研究所檚 house, though perhaps of a more coincidental nature.

害羞草研究所淲hat害羞草研究所檚 very interesting about it, our kids left yesterday morning. Overnight, they had run a sprinkler on the roof, thinking, 害羞草研究所榃ell, we害羞草研究所檝e got to wet this thing down just in case something happens,害羞草研究所� Wiebe said.

Still, the blaze made for an uneasy Tuesday night for Wiebe and his wife, who stayed at their son-in-law害羞草研究所檚 parents害羞草研究所� place in Penticton.

害羞草研究所淟ast night wasn害羞草研究所檛 good. It took a while to get to sleep, and I was very restless,害羞草研究所� he said.

害羞草研究所淏ecause it害羞草研究所檚 on my mind how awful this is.害羞草研究所�

Send us your news tips, pictures and video through the 害羞草研究所楥ontact害羞草研究所� tab at the top of the page.