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YANKEE FLATS— Like many farmers in the Okanagan, Glen's Fruit & Veggie Stand has been impacted by the wildfires raging across British Columbia.
The fresh produce hand-delivered each week by Glen Koenig will be missing from the Rexall Pharmacy parking lot, as he has been forced to return home to attend to multiple blazes threatening his orchard and his home. The fires will prevent the long-time fruit producer from returning to Cochrane for the foreseeable future.
“It was a heavy decision to stop the markets and take care of the property,” Koenig said. “But, we have no choice.”
The area Koenig calls home Yankee Flats, located 26 km south of Salmon Arm, B.C., has been under a fire alert as wildfires have raged across the province.
On Sunday (Aug. 15) the Columbia Shuswap Regional District issued an evacuation alert for the area.
The evacuation alert is a warning issued to indicate the potential threat to life and property due to a fire. The goal of the notice is to give residents time to prepare in case an evacuation order is given.
Under the alert residents are asked to plan for a place to stay outside an evacuation order area, register at an Emergency Reception Centre, plan an evacuation route and prepare critical items in the case an evacuation order is issued.
Koenig is currently located north of the fires, but worries the blazes may work their way up the valley toward his home.
The fire is somewhat removed from his property, Koenig said, but there are concerns if winds pick up it may encroach on his 80-acre property, which includes a 30-acre orchard.
“There’s a lot of fruit left on the trees, we still have a lot of peaches and nectarines hanging there. We’ll do what we can and pick what we can and sell it local here,” Koenig said.
The wildfires are becoming increasingly troubling as fires are erupting across the Okanagan Valley. Koenig said there has been a steady rain of ash and billows of smoke in the area.
“Right now we’re just wetting everything down and getting ready to get out of here [if needed],” Koenig said. “We’re going to do what we can.”
Rain was expected in the region Monday (Aug. 16) night, and he hopes the much-needed moisture will help to contain the fires in the valley. However, he remains concerned about the future of the valley as fires in Kamloops and Kelowna have recently sparked, rapidly consuming the surrounding landscape.
In 2010 Koenig faced a similar decision when a fire neared his property. He was in Alberta at the time and had friends come and move important items from his home. This time around he felt he needed to be home so he could help.
Koenig has been selling his produce in Cochrane for 35 years, starting first in the Royal Canadian Legion parking lot. He currently calls the Rexall Parking lot home.
Koenig said he is grateful to the community for their continued support and regrets the fires will prevent him from visiting Cochrane to share his produce with the community.
Koenig is hopeful he could possibly return to Cochrane before the end of the growing season, but this would only be possible if the fires in the Okanagan are contained.
“I don’t know at this point what is going to happen,” Koenig said.
On Monday, The Canadian Press reported the B.C. Wildlife Service had issued evacuation orders for hundreds of properties throughout the province as high winds intensified the spread of multiple wildfires.
The City of Kamloops issued an evacuation order for 734 properties due to the sudden growth of the Treemont Creek wildfire.
Officials with the Thompson-Nicola regional district issued an order of their own for at least 166 properties near Cherry Creek.
And the Okanagan Indian Band near Vernon, B.C., ordered residents of about 80 properties to leave immediately.
The Canadian Press reported wind gusts reaching up to 60 km/h saw flames jump containment lines in multiple areas. A growth in the White Rock Lake, Nk'Mip Creek, and Lytton wildfires, and high winds are expected to persist.
