Summerland residents begin returning home as roughly 1,200 properties cleared for re-entry

After more than a week away, some Summerland residents are finally walking back through their front doors as parts of the community begin to reopen following the Bald Range wildfire.

Re-entry is currently allowed in Trout Creek and areas of Summerland east of Highway 97, covering roughly 1,200 properties.

For Scott and Linda Goodwin, being home again is a relief. Their property has no major structural damage, but smoke and ash are everywhere.

“It smells like smoke,” Scott said, describing what he found when he returned. “There was ash all through here.”

His first job was cleaning. He got down on his knees with a shop vacuum to clear the ash from inside his home.

Despite that, Linda says she is simply grateful to have a home to return to even though there is a strong smell of wildfire in her home.

“We were just so glad to be home because home is where your heart is,” she said.

But while the Goodwins are happy to be back, Linda says the evacuation experience itself left her frustrated. She questioned why evacuees were forced to endure lengthy lineups while trying to get the help and documentation they needed.

“Why should you have to endure 20 hours of lineups to actually verify what you need?” she said, adding that she did not think there were enough government workers for the amount of evacuees.

Linda says the volunteers at the evacuation centre were a bright spot during a difficult time, praising them for working tirelessly and showing compassion toward evacuees.

She now plans to write to the provincial government, hoping her experience can help improve the response to future wildfires.

The Bald Range fire continues to burn across more than 21,000 hectares.

For Linda and Scott, though, the immediate priority is much simpler, getting settled back into the home they feared they might lose.