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Fire sweeps up hills near The Rise RICHARD ROLKE Morning Star Staff
Firefighters were left scrambling to contain a fast-moving blaze in Vernon’s Bella Vista area Tuesday. The first call came in just before 3 p.m. of a grass fire on the first switchback leading to The Rise. “The winds keeps gusting up and sending it (fire) in a different direction,” said Keith Green, Vernon fire chief, during an interview from the scene. “We’ve been chasing this thing. It came close to two houses but we had a bulldozer on scene and we built up a fire guard.” At about 4:45 p.m., two homes were evacuated. The fire covered grew to about 20 hectares. Crews from both the Vernon and Okanagan Landing fire halls were joined by 21 firefighters, four air tankers and two helicopters from the Ministry of Forests. “We sent whatever resources we can,” said Kayla Pepper, a ministry information officer. The BX-Swan Lake Fire Department was also called in to assist. A cause has not been determined but Pepper says ground conditions are dry. “The fire danger rating is high,” she said. See www.vernonmorningstar.com for a video from Tuesday’s fire.
JENNIFER SMITH/MORNING STAR
Crews from the Vernon and Okanagan Landing fire departments battle a grass fire that grew to 20 hectares Tuesday afternoon near The Rise.
Trail for Taylor serves as memorial for slain teen Some good is coming out of an Armstrong tragedy. The City of Armstrong, in partnership with the Van Diest family and the cooperation of Kelowna Pacific Railway, has announced the creation of the Taylor Jade Van Diest Memorial Trail. The pathway will be built in memory of 18-year-old Taylor Van Diest, who was murdered in the city Halloween night 2011. “The Van Diest family initiated discussions with Kelowna Pacific Railway to seek permission to build a walking path within the
railway corridor between Rosedale ing conceptual Armstrong Spirit Avenue and Pleasant Valley Road,” Trail Plan, a 1.3-kilometre trail said Armstrong Mayor Chris through the city located within Pieper. or adjacent to the railway right“ The family of-way. approached council The memorial with their plan and we trail will be one of unanimously agreed. five sections identiWe understand the fied in the plan, creneed of the family to ated by the Armstrong heal after the tragic loss Spallumcheen Active of Taylor, and for the Communities comcommunity to move mittee in 2009. forward after the tragThe Van Diest Taylor Van Diest edy that took place.” family will be solely Taylor’s memorial responsible for the trail is a 170-metre construction of the length of trail based on the exist- trail, including the management
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of donated goods and services. “The project will be completed through the donation of materials and labour, and the family has been contacted by many willing to make it happen,” said Marie Van Diest, Taylor’s mother, whose brother, Paul Albert, will be the general contractor for the project. “We’re looking forward to all of the work and activities that will take place to see our vision realized. We’re very, very excited to see it come to fruition.” Added Albert: “We’ll follow through with this trail to make it really, really important for the community to see something
come out of this. We can’t hardly wait to get in.” The trail, upon completion, will be turned over to the city for ongoing maintenance. That also means the city has the ability to issue tax receipts for in-kind donations directly attributable to the building of the trail. The Van Diest family and the city acknowledged the railway’s donation of a five-year lease for the use of the railway right-ofway. Talks with the railway continue but the Van Diests hope to get started on building the trail as soon as possible.
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