A house at The Point Resort in Adams Lake has burnt down and emergency crews remain on scene.
The owner, who did not provide his name, still answered the phone for the resort while sitting with neighbours following the blaze.
He couldn’t recall the time it started, but a neighbour’s first 911 call was time-stamped at 4:56 p.m.
Over the phone with a Black Press reporter, the group said the dispatcher wasn’t sure where they were at first and was going to send in the Kamloops Fire Department, about 70 kilometres away.
The resort owner said he doesn’t know what started the fire, but believes it started in the furnace room. Despite no warning of smoke or a strange smell, both he and his dog made it out safely.
When asked how he felt about making it through the 2023 wildfire season where he was evacuated and firefighters fought from his front lawn, to now have lost his home, he gave one word, “numb.”
The owner said the rest of the resort is fine, and said it was quick actions of neighbours that saved nearby homes and his vehicles.
“My friend Gary saved my neighbours house,” he boasted. “He’s a local hero in my mind.”
The owner explained that the community has access to a nearby fire hydrant in emergencies and Gary and one other person ran into action to douse the neighbour’s home and nearby trees.
“I had a jaguar convertible and a jet boat parked above my resort, and one of my other neighbours rescued them to safety.”
Living on a resort, the owner said he will stay in one of his cabins for the meantime. He believes insurance will cover a hotel for a few nights.
The house, he said, is down to ashes.
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