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Whistler opens its arms to Kelowna fire evacuees

Hotels offering free accommodation for Okanagan residents Dave Coombs needed to escape. For the last week he and his family have watched in horror as the Kelowna wild fire consumed much of their Upland neighbourhood.

Hotels offering free accommodation for Okanagan residents

Dave Coombs needed to escape.

For the last week he and his family have watched in horror as the Kelowna wild fire consumed much of their Upland neighbourhood.

And as one of the few families whose home was spared they had consoled friends and neighbours who weren’t so lucky.

"In Kelowna it is all consuming," said Coombs.

"Everywhere you go it is all people are talking about. It is very smoky so we just thought this was a great opportunity to get the kids out of there.

"They are holding up well but it is pretty tense. A lot of their friends have lost their homes and it is very, very trying times around Kelowna right now."

Wednesday Coombs, wife Wendy, 14-year-old Rachel, and Lanny, 12, checked into Whistler’s Pan Pacific resort, one of the first Kelowna evacuee families to take the resort up on its offer this week to let fire-fleeing families stay here for free.

"We want to thank-you for this generous offer," said Coombs.

"And I think there will be a lot more people from Kelowna who will take you up on it."

"It has been brutal in Kelowna. Within five minutes there were 100 homes gone in our neighbourhod."

Coombs also owns a golf course in Kamloops which has been seriously affected by the wildfires in that region. Through a golf tournament he has already raised $10,000 for the fire effort.

But the impact on Coombs is more than just personal. He is president of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association.

Until recently the association was celebrating the fact that they were about the only region of B.C. doing well after a year-long series of national and international catastrophes for tourism, including SARS, mad cow, the war in Iraq and terrorist attacks.

Now the Okanagan is reeling with its own disaster.

"We are going to have some work to do after the fact, there is no doubt," said Coombs.

"Tourism, as we know, won’t change in the region and we have to let people know that. But right now it is not the best place to be."

But there is a silver lining said Coombs.

"If there is anything good to come out of these things I think it is that the community does come together," he said.

"We met a complete stranger when we went to check in as evacuees and they took our cat.

"We fully expect to have somebody in our home when we get back. We will definitely be opening our doors and you are seeing that across the board."

About two dozen reservations have come from Kelowna fire evacuees who are taking up the offer from some of the Whistler’s top hotels to come and stay for free.

Tourism Whistler circulated the offer after Pan Pacific general manager Mike Duggan came up with the idea last weekend.

"I was talking to some of my friends up there who have lost homes or had to leave them," said Duggan.

"I am from the Okanagan and I really thought that perhaps there was something we could do.

"I think the message from our perspective is that Whistler is very concerned about what has gone on and we are compassionate and we sure hope that things get back to normal relatively soon."

Whistler is often perceived as a ‘have’ community, said Duggan, who is also chair of Tourism B.C.

"I hope people can see that if we are a ‘have’ place we are very much in the mosaic of British Columbia as both residents and tourism operators.

"We wish everybody well who is fighting the fire and we want to see a return to normalcy as soon as possible."

The Fairmont Chateau, the Pan Pacific, Crystal Lodge and the two Delta hotels are offering free rooms to those fleeing the flames.

Each hotel will give out a certain number of rooms for a certain number of nights. The Chateau is already full.

Whistler Mayor Hugh O’Reilly is also behind the gesture.

"Our hearts go out to the people of Kelowna," he said.

Kelowna evacuees can call Whistler’s Central Reservation line at 1-800-WHISTLER to find out more.

In Whistler the risk of fire is still extreme. Big signs can be seen all over town this week warning people of the extreme danger of fire.

And with forecasts for more warm and dry weather it doesn’t look like the risk of fire will lessen any time soon.

Assistant fire chief Sheila Kirkwood said the greatest threat comes from those in the backcountry who are careless with their smoking materials.

Just because we had a little bit of rain does not mean cigarettes butts and other materials can be discarded in the woods, she said.

"Please, please be careful and be vigilant," said Kirkwood.

"And don’t smoke in the backcountry and don’t throw your cigarette butts out the window."

Despite the constant media coverage and the hundreds of local signs some people still are not getting the message. Pemberton RCMP charged a man this week under the Forest Practice Code after he and a friend were found cooking breakfast over an open fire at a One Mile Lake Campsite.

To report a wildfire, call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on a cell phone.

Wildfire info line: 1-888-3FOREST or 1-888-336-7378 .