Welcome to Monte Lake. A little slice of heaven.
Monte Lake is a small community between Vernon and Kamloops, BC that I called home for the first 18 years of my life.
On July 13, 2021, The White Rock Lake Wildfire ignited due to a severe heat wave, dry forest, and lightning. This fire was dangerously close to Monte Lake and neighboring Westwold.
In the proceeding weeks, the communities of Monte Lake and Westwold were engrossed in a perpetual cloud of smoke.
As the fire grew in size with limited resources dedicated, it would turn into an ominous red glow. The fire was drawing near.
Residents were forced to anxiously wait with baited breath as the fire got closer by the day.
On August 5, 2021, the wildfire tore apart the community as residents fled for their lives.
The horrific events affected me deeply and caused me to think introspectively about what this magical place means to me…
… And how it shaped my identity.
The world is rapidly moving towards urbanization.
“In 2007, for the first time in history, the global urban population exceeded the rural population, and since then the number of the world’s city dwellers has continued to grow faster than the rural population”
World Urbanization Prospects (2018, p.14)
The report goes on to project that this number will rise to 68% by 2050. This is reflected in the graph below. The report also states that number, however, is currently already 86% in North America.
This trend has caused a lack of attention paid to rural communities.
“Rural communities feel left behind, engendering widespread feelings of rage, despair, mourning, and resentment.”
(Clark et al., 2022, p. 5)
These feelings were prevalent in the aftermath of the fire. The community felt abandoned. Like they were just left to burn.
The summer of 2021 had many wildfires burning throughout BC, and resources were spread thin. When winds flared up and caused the fire to take off, they were ill-equipped to deal with it. Those who stayed back and fought the fire themselves were chastised in the media for putting lives at risk.
Thankfully, a documentary was created called “A Valley Destroyed,” which went into the fire zone and got the true story of how the residents were left to fend for themselves. Those who stayed, did so to protect what they worked so hard to build.
The devastation left in the wake of this horror is shocking, and the backlash will be felt for many years to come.
On a personal level, the fire affected me in ways I was not prepared for. It changed the course of the rest of my life.
Now, two years after the fire, the resiliency of the community to fight back and rebuild what they lost is nothing short of inspiring.
While the scars of this fire still remain, so does every brave soul who endured this horrible tragedy.
This is not just a story about a fire, or a place. It’s about the fire that destroyed the place that made me who I am.
This is Lake of Fire.
Thank you for taking the time to journey with me on my digital story! This was a cathartic experience for me to get some of this off my chest. There is more to tell about the fire itself, and those who lost so much. Perhaps, another story for another day.
Sources
United Nations. (2018) “World Urbanization Prospects.” Retrieved February 13, 2023, from https://www.un-ilibrary.org/content/books/9789210043137/read
Clark, S., Harper S. & Weber, B. (2022) “Growing Up in Rural America.” Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://www.rsfjournal.org/content/rsfjss/8/4/1.full.pdf
City News 1130. (2021, August 5). Wildfire between Kamloops and Vernon forces widespread evacuation orders [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S1XZ67G0R4&ab_channel=NEWS1130
CBC News: The National. (2021, August 6). Pleas for people to obey evacuation orders as fire destroys B.C. community [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOefXsz0-Co&ab_channel=CBCNews%3ATheNational
CBC News. (2021, August 6). Aggressive wildfire at B.C.’s White Rock Lake jumps highway, burns homes [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gqi9kERgm6M&ab_channel=CBCNews
CTV News: Vancouver. (2021, August 6). Wildfire devastates Monte Lake [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx1TDjtPKaQ&t=17s&ab_channel=CTVVancouver
Simon Hergott. (2021, August 9) A Valley Destroyed Part 1 – The Story of Monte Lake and Paxton Valley. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToiVJjD_j10&ab_channel=SimonHergott
Castanet News. (2021, August 12). White Rock Lake Fire [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wyLCKeCcjA&ab_channel=CastanetNews
Simon Hergott. (2021, August 17). A Valley Destroyed Part 2 – Truth In The Flames. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It2A6k8pwUw&t=56s&ab_channel=SimonHergott
Ian Holliday, Alissa Thibaukt. (2021, September 3). Massive White Rock Lake fire ‘being held,’ BC Wildfire Service says. CTV News Vancouver. https://bc.ctvnews.ca/massive-white-rock-lake-fire-being-held-bc-wildfire-service-says-1.5572063
Holmes, S. (2020). Epic Cinematic. On Cinematic Background Music. Scott Holmes Music. Retrieved from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes/cinematic-background-music/epic-cinematic/
Holmes, S. (2020). Cinematic Trailer. On Cinematic Background Music. Scott Holmes Music. Retrieved from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes/cinematic-background-music
Holmes, S. (2020). Together We Stand. On Cinematic Background Music. Scott Holmes Music. Retrieved from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes/cinematic-background-music
Some pictures courtesy of Melanie Kooistra. Thank you!