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Wildfire takes home, thieves take hope for West Kelowna family

The Lacey family was two month away from completing their new home

When it rains, it pours.

That’s how the Lacey family is feeling after losing their home to the McDougall Creek fire.

Patrick and Caroline Lacey, along with their two kids, will be rebuilding their West Kelowna home for a second time after an electrical fire destroyed their property in 2019.

The family decided to rebuild and were just two months away from completing their home went up in flames during the wildfire.

In a post to Facebook at the end of August, Caroline wrote, “Please share our Go Fund Me and help us get back on track so that we can try to give our family a chance to live a normal life. We do not live beyond our means. Patrick drives a scooter 25km to work to save money for a build that is now a pile of ash. We are tired and defeated. We unfortunately need help.”

Their troubles didn’t stop there. Patrick posted to social media on Oct. 1 to say the wood stove in their camper was stolen over the weekend.

“What kind of person steals from someone who has lost everything and has a sign pleading for help? If you saw anything let me know, please. This was our hope to keep the winter normal and fun for our kids on the weekends.”

The family has started a GoFundMe to help get back on their feet and make it through the winter. The fundraiser is just shy of its $30,000 goal as of 1 p.m. Oct. 3.

READ MORE: 2 small-town Manitoba women on front lines of wildfire recovery in Okanagan



Brittany Webster

About the Author: Brittany Webster

I am a video journalist based in Kelowna and capturing life in the Okanagan
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