Fire chief says 13 of his members lost homes in ‘nightmare’ McDougall Creek fire

Some volunteer firefighters on the west side of Okanagan Lake are the definition of putting community before self.

Paul Zydowicz, chief of Wilson’s Landing Fire Department in Electoral Area West of the Regional District of Central Okanagan, said 13 of his members lost their homes in the McDougall Creek fire last week, yet continued to show up for duty, to try and save the homes of other residents in the small community.

The chief himself, was one of the members whose home burned down.

The department has 24 members so more than half were impacted in a devastating way.

Zydowicz called it “an immense honour” to serve with his fellow firefighters.

“Our community has suffered an incredible blow,” Zydowicz told Thursday’s Central Okanagan fires update in Kelowna. Thirteen of our members have lost homes, yet from the very first spark, you have shown up and fought this fire while your own homes were burning behind you.”

Zydowicz was also involved in fighting the White Rock Lake wildfire in 2021, which he says was not nearly as ferocious.

“This fire has been, and continues to be, a fire chief’s nightmare. The force, speed and intensity of the fire is unprecedented in our community. Two years ago, as we worked the White Rock Lake fire, we thought at the time it was the biggest fire of our lives. It pales to what we just experienced,” Zydowicz remarked.

The fire chief said the difference between the two major fires was that on White Rock Lake, his fire crews had time to to prepare and organize.

“But this one started on Wednesday (Aug. 16) and was in the community 24 hours later or less, and came a lot faster than expected, and with a ferocity no one had ever seen.”

An estimated 90 properties have been impacted in the Westside Road area with the largest structural loss being Lake Okanagan Resort, which is in the Wilson’s Landing fire protection area.

The Wilson’s Landing Fire Department covers Westside Road from Trader’s Cove to Shelter Cove.

According to the RDCO, there are about 175 homes/cottages with an estimated 500 residents during the summer.