Residents who fought wildfires help less fortunate

Donate pay to help 30 Rock Creek families who lost their homes

VANCOUVER — In an unusual acknowledgment of their efforts to save Rock Creek from a fastmoving forest fire, the tough and resilient residents of Kettle River East Road who stayed behind and fought it until the B.C. Wildfire Service arrived will be paid for their service.

But in an act of generosity, the dozen families who worked on the fire line have decided to donate their wages to local charities aimed at helping the 30 families who were burned out.

Almost from the day in late August when the provincial government decided it would pay the citizen firefighters, they said they didn’t want to keep the money but instead planned to help victims who had lost everything. The amount is about $20,000.

Michael Fenwick-Wilson, who speaks for the families along Kettle Valley East Road, said the money would be donated to both the local Lions Club and the Regional District of Kootenay-Boundary, which is setting up a support fund for fire victims. The residents worked for three days to stop the fire from spreading after it jumped the Kettle River, while the wildfire service was preoccupied trying to stop the fire as it raced through nearby Westbridge.

Glen Burgess, the incident commander for the Rock Creek fire, said the province decided to pay the residents after it became clear they were fighting the fire on crown land.

Anita Unrau, one of the residents who stayed behind and who will be paid, said the group was unanimous in its decision to donate the money. “We didn’t do this for the money. We did it because we were worried the fire would come back and burn us out,” she said. “We’re all wanting to help people who lost their homes.”