The future is uncertain for the residents of a 麻豆精选 motel whose homes were gutted this weekend by fire.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know where they鈥檒l go 鈥� they鈥檒l never get anything like that again,鈥� said Guylaine Bolen over a coffee at the Denny鈥檚, which is adjacent to the hotel where many of the long-term residents of the Walnut Grove Motel have been staying since fire ripped through their suites.
鈥淚t has been the only place for people who can鈥檛 afford $2,000-a-month-rent.鈥�
Walnut Grove Motel is a bit of a throwback to simpler times in that neighbourhood. It鈥檚 been around since the 鈥�50s and owned by the same family since 1980. Some residents have had their rent frozen for decades, while others who found their way there in recent years are still finding it affordable.
Bolen鈥檚 home of seven years was spared from the worst of the fire though, for the time being, she鈥檚 locked out and that鈥檚 not been easy either.
鈥淚t hit me this morning,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 homeless.鈥�
Her breakfast companion, Teresa A., has been a neighbour for the last four years and said she鈥檚 been trying to stay calm while navigating the rough waters of her newfound situation. She鈥檚 already contending with a series of health issues that made the motel the most viable option for living in the Okanagan in the first place.
鈥淣o kidding,鈥� she said to Bolen, in response to her realization. 鈥淚鈥檓 very homeless.鈥�
Teresa鈥檚 unit was razed by fire. The only possessions saved from the flames were her truck and, she said with a laugh, a barbecue.
鈥淚 was looking at pictures of the fire and I saw it was saved. The fire fighters must have moved it because of the propane tank, but it鈥檚 funny that it survived,鈥� she said, noting that humour, is about the only salve for an otherwise traumatic situation.
鈥淢ore than 40 years of memories are gone鈥� A saddle my dad made me when I was two-years-old, is gone. I was five-years-old when he died and I鈥檝e kept it with me since鈥�
This is not on a movie set but the real thing! #kelowna #fireinkelowna #besafe #fire #kfd pic.twitter.com/nwUZ99z6nb
鈥� Michael Vangsgaard (@mvangsgaard) July 8, 2017
She was in her unit when the fire broke out next door, but it didn鈥檛 take long for it to spread and that鈥檚 part of the reason why she wasn鈥檛 able to save anything herself, other than the wallet she had in her hand.
鈥淚 was just watching TV on my new sofa 鈥� the first sofa I鈥檝e had in years 鈥� and I heard a loud bang and saw a bunch of people standing out front of my house.鈥�
The Waters Edge North building on Truswell Road was attended by firefighters within minutes, though they didn鈥檛 access the fire in time to stop its spread.
鈥淚n a matter of 20 minutes both (condo) buildings were up in flames,鈥� she said.
Unoccupied and unfinished, the Waters Edge North building was destroyed in the fire. All that remains is soot, charred wood and the concrete remnants of an elevator shaft.
It and its neighbouring structure may be damaged beyond repair. Of its 65 units, seven are completely destroyed and currently an estimated 130 residents are out of home. Between the floods that plagued put them on an evacuation list, and this fire it鈥檚 been a difficult period.
Much of the conversation about the fire has focused on those residents, said Stephen Shortt, and he is confused about why so little attention has been paid to the motel. He鈥檚 been especially bothered by some commentary that its end would be good for the neighbourhood.
He and his roommate had been residents of the motel for three years and he was at work when the fire broke out, setting off what he describes as one of the more surreal incidents of his life.
鈥淢y roommate, Ronda Anderson, left several messages and when I called her back she said 鈥榦ur house is on fire,鈥欌�� said Shortt.
鈥淚 jumped in my car and started driving and right away I saw the smoke. It was super scary. I didn鈥檛 think it was real.鈥�
He met Anderson at her work and together with their dogs they walked down to their home, which was on fire.
鈥淭he other building fell on top of ours,鈥� he said, while bringing up a picture of its remains on his cellphone.
There鈥檚 little left of the suite that he called home. He鈥檚 happy Anderson saved their two dogs 鈥� a husky and a border collie鈥� but a snake and a hamster perished in the blaze, like just about everything else.
鈥淚 lost everything I own except my work uniform and a cellphone,鈥� he said.
Shortt, Anderson and Teresa have all said they didn鈥檛 have rental insurance. The same is true for others they鈥檝e spoken to as well.
Some have said it鈥檚 simply been a matter of cost. They didn鈥檛 have the money.
鈥淲e literally have to start from scratch,鈥� Shortt said. 鈥滱nd it鈥檚 not going to be easy.鈥�
Whether they鈥檒l ever return to Walnut Grove remains to be seen.
Dennis Kovacic and his brother were bequeathed the property from their father and have been running it as a long-term rental for years.
Each of the displaced residents spoken to this week say he鈥檚 been more than fair, keeping their rent reasonable over the years rather than turning over the property to a developer for a mint.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a saint,鈥� said Shortt, pointing out that perceptions about the residents of Walnut Grove are usually negative and it鈥檚 unfair. Its residents, he said, are varied, but usually of lesser means and supplemented by disability payments, and the like.
Kovacic said he鈥檚 aware of the perceptions, but doesn鈥檛 pay them much mind.
鈥淏eing situated on the creek here, it鈥檚 a wonderful area,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he people here are great. I pick and choose my tenants very carefully and I鈥檝e created a community of good people. The place doesn鈥檛 look great, but the people are.鈥�
Kovacic said he doesn鈥檛 have full access to the property yet, and he鈥檚 not sure what鈥檚 going to happen going forward.
鈥淚 would love to rebuild it, if possible. The entire complex is not all gone, so much of it I can run, as is.鈥�
Fire officials have said that there will be an investigation into the fire, though most believe it to have been a byproduct of a construction incident. Many of those spoken to have said they saw the roofer, a young man who had burns from attempting to put the blaze out, wandering around shortly after the fire started, though officials aren鈥檛 confirming anything.
