Osoyoos firefighters attacked a blaze from the roof and below at Sunshine Cove in the early afternoon on Friday. (Dale Cory photo)
A trust account has been established to help one of the victims of Friday’s blaze that swept through the Sunshine Cove condominiums causing an estimated $2 million damage.
There were no injuries in the fire, which was reported shortly after noon on May 1.
Osoyoos Fire Chief Rick Jones said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it is believed to have started in the bedroom of a lower and central unit in the 10-unit building.
The fire is believed to have been burning for some time before it was noticed.
The fund, being established at Interior Savings and Credit Union by the Rotary Club of Osoyoos, will help Deb Peach, who lost everything she had inside the condo.
She didn’t have any insurance.
Peach, who works as a landscaper, recently lost her husband Jack to cancer in December after a short illness.
“I think after losing my husband, this is another knock in life,” Peach said Monday. “It’s not as bad as losing him. I’m grateful nobody was hurt. We have a lot to be grateful for.”
Peach said she is touched by how supportive people in the Osoyoos community have been.
“People have been incredible,” she said. “I can’t explain in words how incredible they are. After the passing of my husband, I saw so much warmth and sympathy that for this to happen again, you don’t want to be that kind of centre of attention for sure.”
Jones said all 10 units received some damage, with damage more extensive in the six central units. The four units on the end received substantial water damage, he said, because firefighters had to cut open the roof to hose down the fire and extinguish it.
The Rotary Club chose to direct the fund to Peach because she was the only uninsured resident, said Eileen McGinn of the club.
Other residents were pleased to see the help go to Peach, she said.
Some of the owners of other units live out of town and use their condos for vacationing.
The response from local firefighters was excellent, Jones said.
“I’m very proud that I had 25 members from the Osoyoos Fire Department,” he said, adding that a crew of five with one truck also came from Oliver after the Osoyoos department requested mutual aid.
Firefighters battled the blaze until about 6 p.m., he said.
“With the wind blowing off the lake, you have to make sure everything’s out,” said Jones. “Otherwise you could be called back for a reignite in the middle of the night and it’s worse again.”
The fire was contained and did not spread to any neighbouring buildings, he added.
Peach said she had taken a lunch break on Friday and headed back to the condo when she saw the smoke.
“I got there before the fire trucks,” she said. “It was just engulfed in black smoke coming from the front at that point.”
Although she lost everything that was inside the condo, some of the plants that were on the patio for her landscaping clients survived unscathed.
She is grateful that she still has a number of contracts for her landscaping business and will be able to continue working through the season.
For now, she is staying at the home of her daughter in Osoyoos. She also has another daughter in Nelson and a son in Kelowna.
“Both girls are pregnant and due anytime,” she said. “On the human interest end of things, life goes on.”
People wishing to donate to the trust account can do so at Interior Savings and Credit Union in Osoyoos. Cheques should be made payable to “Osoyoos Rotary Club for Deb Peach.”
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
A fire shortly after noon on Friday gutted a number of units at Sunshine Cove on Oleander Drive. Osoyoos firefighters battled the blaze in an effort to stop it from spreading to other units. (Ken Baker photo)
Osoyoos firefighters hose a rooftop at Sunshine Cove as they battled a blaze shortly after noon on Friday. (Dale Cory photo)
