Former Calgary couples' retirement dreams dashed after losing Shuswap home in wildfire
Julie and Kevin Matiowsky's home on the shore of Shuswap Lake is among thousands gutted by fast-moving wildfires in B.C. that have torn through the region in recent days.
Now the couple, originally from Calgary, is looking at starting over, and say they may move back to Alberta as their dreams of retirement in their B.C. home have been ruined.
Following an evacuation order for the area last Friday, Julie said she looked at the house and said, "Don't go anywhere, I'll be back in a few weeks."
The couple has since learned the home has been reduced to rubble, and the items inside, many of sentimental value, have been destroyed as well.
"I still have a feeling like I'm going back but there's nothing there," said Kevin.
The Matiowskys are currently staying in Calgary with relatives, and have set up a GoFundMe account to help keep them afloat as they sort out the details of their home insurance and determine what to do now.
"It's just hard to know that your whole life is now just gone. I don't know how to feel about it. It's still coming in waves. It's hard," said Julie, as her eyes filled with tears.
Kevin then added, "There's many others in the same situation."
The couple says they are unsure if rebuilding back at the lake in B.C. will be an option, and they may eventually consider moving back to Calgary but aren't making any decisions.
EVACUATION REMAINS IN EFFECT
As of Thursday, Emergency Info BC stated an evacuation order was still in effect for the northern shore of Shuswap Lake, including the Scotch Creek and Celista communities.
The B.C. Wildfire Service says the Bush Creek East fire in the Shuswap region remains the province's top priority wildfire, and up to 150 more firefighters were scheduled to arrive on-site Wednesday and Thursday to further contain the blaze.
Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm watch late Tuesday for the Shuswap region - one of the hardest-hit fire zones - with Salmon Arm recording 12 millimetres of rain on that day, the biggest single-day total all year.
The Bush Creek East wildfire burning between Chase and Sorrento is estimated at 41,041 square-kilometres and has been described as one of the fastest moving, most aggressive fires in the province's history.
According to Forrest Tower, BC Wildfire Service Information Officer, there are 139 wild-land firefighters supported by 112 structural protection firefighters responding to the Bush Creek East fire.
An additional 100 fire crews from Mexico are expected to arrive on Friday.
--
With files from The Canadian Press and Kraig Krause, CTV News
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
A look back on Alberta's record-breaking wildfire season: Preparing for potential challenges in 2024
By the end of the 2023 wildfire season in Alberta, 1,088 wildfires had burned more than 2.2 million hectares of land, and this year, the wildfire season is already in full swing.
Video appears to show Sean 'Diddy' Combs beating singer Cassie in hotel hallway in 2016
Security video aired by CNN appears to show Sean 'Diddy' Combs physically assaulting singer Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta border: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Anglers reel in 3.5-metre-long tiger shark off coast of Florida: 'She found my bait'
A group of fishers said it took roughly 20 minutes to reel in this 3.5-metre-long tiger shark off the coast of Florida.
Australia's richest woman seeks removal of her portrait from exhibition
Art is subjective. And while many artists long to share their work with the world, there's no guarantee that the audience will understand it, or even like it.
Scottie Scheffler isn't the first pro golfer to be arrested during a tournament
Scottie Scheffler's arrest hours before his second-round tee time at the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, will go down as one of the most shocking in professional golf history. It certainly wasn't the first, though.
Canadian convicted of attacking Nancy Pelosi's husband with a hammer sentenced to 30 years
The man convicted of attempting to kidnap then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and attacking her husband with a hammer was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison.