Aug 17, 2021
Updates
A new fire late Sunday about 7PM in the Peachland/Glenrosa area. Between the heat and high winds it grew quickly. Hundreds were evacuated.
The sky colour intensified quickly.
It remained fairly bright facing Kelowna but to the side and back of us facing Vernon the sky colour became darker.
…and darker.
It almost looked like night, the sky was very dark, yet facing Kelowna there was a brightness like in the first photo of this post. So strange and eerie to turn your back to the lake and see almost night conditions.
The fire-fighters worked ever so hard all through Sunday night despite the high winds and heat. Monday they continued. Late yesterday the temperatures dropped a bit and we even had a few drops of moisture. It went down to 59F about 6AM this morning and it never rose above 64F. Between that drop in temperature and the decrease in the wind and the very little bit of rain ( I read .7 of a mm ) that we got, it made a huge difference in the two main fires. The fire-fighters were able to build necessary fire guards and get up into the higher terrain to put out hot spots. Today we learned that sadly 80 homes were lost over the weekend due to the Westside fire but they continue to build more guards to protect homes. Also several hundred of those evacuated Sunday night were able to return home late this afternoon. The past 24 hours have really helped calm the fires. The temps are going to rise a bit for the next few days, hopefully the fires will remain less volatile. The two large fires are still burning out of control. as are many others. Off the top of my head I think we have something like 260 fires burning here in our province of BC. The government is strongly asking tourists to leave as we need hotels for evacuees as well as to keep the roads clear.
At one point in the last day we only had one of three highways open. One was closed because of fire and another closed because of rock slides. The remaining highway open was affected about 3:30AM today due to a semi accident. Thank goodness my friend Ferne left Saturday. These are the only routes for anyone in Canada to get to the west coast. Alarming! Things opened up later this afternoon. Many neighbours are now packed and ready to leave on a moments notice. We have no fire threat nearby but with everything so dry it is a good idea to be prepared. It can only take an instant to flare up as we witnessed a few times this past weekend. We always have a box near the front door of important papers including our house building plans as well as a USB of home photos ( inside and out ) and of every open cupboard. We have replacement insurance.
We like to sleep with the windows open if we can. If the smoke is not too bad we leave them open. Today when I made the bed I could smell smoke in the bedding 🙁
The girls continue to heal but of course that means they really want to run, jump and wrestle. Yesterday Colin carried one or the other around. When we separate them they whimper. Only one is allowed outside at a time. Today Colin took them for a one block walk and later a longer walk, a golf cart ride to take out the garbage and finally a car ride to pick something up. They are full of energy and refuse to be cooped up but they are still vulnerable. I had no idea it would be so difficult for us. Counting the minutes until they settle ( its 8:50PM ).
Yesterday afternoon I had more vein treatments. The left leg was the usual 40 pricks ( not fun ) but the right leg was a different situation.
Last Monday they found a problem deeper down in my leg. Yesterday the doctor came in and said that I have a varicose vein that was not functioning properly because of the valves in that vein .
Looking at the situation via ultrasound.
This was the difficult part ( at least for me). The needle went down deeply in the vein in a few areas, all the while pumping foam into that vein in an attempt to kill it. Today those areas are very sore and inflamed. I have been wearing a stocking non stop since 3PM yesterday. As soon as I finish this post I get a five minute bath in tepid water. Tomorrow the support thigh high stockings go on again, yes one each leg.
Special thanks to Inger for puppy sitting for us. I decided to give the girls a 2/3 dose of Benadryl before we left which hopefully would subdue them so that they would not get worked up. It all worked out. They woke up easily when we came home but did rest more last evening which really helped as I needed to keep still and rest my leg. It has been a busy 48 hours since I last posted.
Covid numbers in our area continue to increase.
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Those are some crazy and bizarre pictures, I sure hope it clears up soon!
We just might be in luck with the weather. Finger crossed.
That last picture says a lot! We were at our daughter’s place Sunday night and the skies where crazy, and yes very dark toward the north. When we drove home we drove by the Dilworth fire which look soooo bad, but fortunately they were able to get it under control quickly … that could have gone so wrong 🙁
That was a crazy day with all the fires erupting. As you say that Dilworth fire could have created havoc. So fortunate the it was extinguished so quickly. Someone deserves a medal or two for that.
Another terrible year for smoke and fires but far too close to your home. Stay prepared to go and go when and if you have to. Don’t worry about “stuff”!
Totally agree with you Croft. We are prepared to leave at a moments notice. Colin started loading the RV with some things yesterday.