'Horrific' night for Kelowna couple rescuing animals from McDougall Creek wildfire
A Kelowna couple is running on two hours of sleep after a chaotic night of transporting animals to safety through thick smoke and falling ash after the McDougall Creek Wildfire jumped across Okanagan Lake and lit up areas of Kelowna and Lake Country last night, Aug. 17.
“We were eating dinner and watching the fire and realized it’s really picking up fast and getting bad,” Chelsie Lesnoski said.
Lesnoski and her husband Cole Marten have been in the horse industry for years so got a call from the Kelowna Riding Centre asking for help to take in horses from evacuated areas of West Kelowna.
The pair set out for the riding centre and described the rest of her night as “horrifying.”
READ MORE: Lake Okanagan Resort near West Kelowna destroyed by wildfire
And it wasn't just the horses that were terrified.
“You couldn’t even talk to the people, they were in such a state of shock.”
A group of volunteers worked to put together stalls and get the animals bedded down for the night.
“We thought we were in a good place and then found out the fire had jumped the lake and we didn’t expect that to happen,” Lesnoski said. “It burned up the hill and started coming down to Glenmore (in Kelowna).”
Lesnoski then turned her efforts to helping evacuated roughly 60 dogs from Glenmore Pet Resort.
“Driving up Glenmore Road I could feel the car heating up, there was ash coming down, people were running red lights, everyone was just so panicked,” she said. “People without cars had backpacks and luggage, running away from their homes.
“I arrived at the pet resort and people were just throwing harnesses at me, everyone was grabbing dogs, loading cars and horse trailers. I took a dog home last night, I don’t even know its name. I’m in my car grabbing dogs, my husband is grabbing more horses.”
Lesnoski and her husband brought the animals to the riding club where the horses coming out of trailers were “balls to the walls stressed out.”
She said the situation was exacerbated by the fact many, including herself, were not aware of the severity of the wildfire and weather conditions. She said some people didn’t know they were on an evacuation alert.
“We knew it was there, it was just a small spot on the map. We didn’t get the information we needed on the weather.”
The couple returned home around 3 a.m. where they slept for a couple of hours and were back ready to help with people and animals early this morning. They're working on a broader evacuation plan should the wildfire reach the riding club.
“We don’t know what is going to happen, it’s dry, there is a thunderstorm coming,” she said.
READ MORE: iN PHOTOS: Images from the West Kelowna wildfire
While they're safe at their home in southeast Kelowna they are helping evacuees find places to stay. Despite the horrific situation, Lesnoski sees the humanity coming through.
“It has been incredible people are coming out we don’t even know their names but they know horses and that’s all that matters, they’re out to save these animals and be that support for evacuees,” she said. “People are bringing waters, granola bars, there is so much kindness.”
The Kelowna Riding Centre is taking in evacuated horses and can be reached here.
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