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Winfield, Oyama, Okanagan Centre and Carrs Landing since 1951
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February 20, 2013
Inside
Family homeless
Kalamalka Lake
WADE PATERSON
water source will be shut down temporarily while upgrades are made to the system. ...............................
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A public hearing to take small sections of land out of the ALR and have them align with future community plan land use will take place at the District of Lake Country municipal offices on March 5. ...............................
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Sizeable marijuana grow op taken down in Lake Country. ...............................
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A Lake Country family is lucky to be alive after a kitchen fire ruined their Turtle Lodge unit Wednesday night. But now Darryl Nessman, Amanda McNally, their three daughters and pet dog are being forced to start from scratch. And it’s not easy. Around 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nessman was cooking French fries when he heard his 15-month-old daughter, Mary-Jane, crying. He was only gone for a matter of seconds when he heard a popping sound in the kitchen. He ran back to discover the cupboards above the stove were on fire. “He ran into the laundry room to go find the fire extinguisher,” said McNally. “He ran back out because he couldn’t find it and the whole kitchen was on fire. So he just got the kids and the dog out.” McNally was at work when Nessman phoned
to inform her the house was ablaze. “I drove out there and at that point, because he was in so much shock, he couldn’t tell me if the kids were out or if anything had happened—I didn’t know what I was walking into. “I was thankful he and the kids were safe.” The house was not so lucky. McNally said the unit will have to be entirely rebuilt. Neighbours’ homes also suffered smoke damage from the incident. And other than a few smoke-stained pieces of clothing, the family has also lost all of their possessions. McNally was reached by telephone Saturday morning at the hotel room her family has been staying in since Wednesday evening. During the conversation her kids—Elise, 6, Andrea, 5, and MaryJane, 1—could be heard yelling, sometimes loudly, in the background. McNally said two of her daughters were very
AMANDA MCNALLY
(left), Darryl Nessman and their daughters (from right to left) Andrea, Elise and Mary-Jane, sit in the hotel room they’ve been staying at since last Wednesday. The family lost their home and the majority of their possessions in a fire. WADE PATERSON/BLACK PRESS
sick on Friday, which she thinks is likely due to the situation being very difficulty to cope with. “They’re blaming their dad: ‘You burned our house down.’ It just comes out,” said McNally. “He feels bad enough already, so it’s pretty hard on him when they say that.” To make matters worse, McNally and Nessman are engaged and were planning to get married this summer. “That’s not happening now.” Emergency Sup-
port Services’ three day food and lodging coverage ended Saturday, before Red Cross took over which gave the family until Feb. 19 to leave the hotel. When asked if things have gotten better since the fire, McNally said: “Not at all, actually.” “We’re looking for a place to live. Unfortunately, nobody is calling me back. “People want to help us, but they’re kind of holding out until we have somewhere to put everything.” One of the people
may not be in the pipeline yet, but the industry is certainly ramping up right now, says columnist Tom Fletcher. ...............................
newsroom@lakecountrynews.net
In his homeland of Chile, Nano Stern’s albums have stormed the charts. His 2009 release Los Espejos was rated by Rolling Stone (Chile) as No. 3 in its Top 100 albums, while his previous album Voy Y Veulvo, won the Chilean Journalist’s Choice Award for Best Album. Critical review and popular appeal have followed in Australia, the UK and Sweden. Credited as a creator of the new Chilean sound, Nano fuses traditional Latin American and European folk music with modern rock, folk and jazz. His talent extends beyond his voice and guitar as he incorporates piano, violin, Swedish flute and mandolin. Nano Stern performs at Creekside Theatre, 7:30 p.m., Feb. 22. For tickets call 250-766-5669 or visit www.creeksidetheater.com.
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Flyers ■ Home Depot ■ Staples
space in a garage to store a few items while the family continues to look for a home. A few neighbours have also been very helpful, providing a bit of money and clothing. McNally said she’s been overwhelmed by the offers of support and noted “every bit helps.” Between sniffles on the phone, McNally said the house hunt remains the family’s top priority. “Finding a place to live is our biggest need right now.”
Chile to Creekside
B.C. gas
■ JYSK
trying to help is Tyler Witzke. Witzke grew up with Nessman in Winfield and felt he had to do something when he heard about the fire. He has started a small Facebook appeal to gather items for the family. “I’m just getting clothes and stuff, whatever I can—they lost pretty much everything,” said Witzke. “If I was in that situation, I’d hope everyone would do the same for me.” Another friend has given McNally some
CHILEAN singer/ instrumentalist Nano Stern performs at Creekside Theatre on Feb. 22. CONTRIBUTED
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