After the wildfire threat receded and residents were allowed back home, a family in Summerland, B.C., was taken aback to discover their house in disarray.
Contrary to their initial fears, the Bald Range wildfire had not destroyed their home.
Instead, Mira Boucher reported that their residence had been looted while the neighborhood was deserted and exposed — every house was unoccupied due to the evacuation order.
“Unfortunately, when we opened the front door and the kids rushed in, it was clear that someone had been inside the house,” Boucher stated.
“The kids are coping as best they can, but it’s incredibly traumatic, especially after the distressing experience of having to evacuate because of the wildfire,” she continued.
Valuables such as computers, jewelry, and gaming consoles were taken from a home in Summerland while its occupants were evacuated due to a wildfire. (Submitted by Mira Boucher)
The Boucher family had just moved into their Summerland home weeks prior to the outbreak of the Bald Range wildfire, with many of their possessions still unpacked.
On August 7, the Boucher family witnessed flames rise over the nearby mountain from their balcony before hastily gathering their essential items and leaving.
She mentioned that they had to evacuate swiftly, in the dead of night, with very little notice.
“Just the clothes on our backs and a bag with some necessities,” she recounted.
After weeks spent on Vancouver Island under an evacuation order, Boucher noted that her children were eager to come back home and see their rooms and belongings once again.
Mira and Carl Boucher and their children had only recently settled into their home on an acreage in Summerland before the evacuation orders were issued. (Benoît Ferradini/Radio-Canada)
“When we entered the bedrooms, it was evident that everything had been rummaged through; every closet and dresser had been overturned, tossed onto the beds and floor. They seemed to be searching for anything of value,” Boucher explained.
“And it just kept getting worse.”
A door had been forcibly opened, and small items including Boucher’s jewelry, piggy banks, gaming setups, and sports equipment were taken. (Benoît Ferradini/Radio Canada)
A door had been forced open, and items such as her children’s piggy banks, gaming setups, and sports gear were missing.
Her jewelry and computers, including her husband Carl’s, were stolen, along with crucial documents like birth certificates.
“We felt violated in what was meant to be our safe haven,” Boucher expressed, adding that her children now ask every night if they are secure.
Boucher believes that larger items of value, such as bicycles, were likely left behind because they could not be easily transported by thieves without a vehicle.
She also suggested that their wooded property was a target due to its seclusion compared to neighboring properties, making it less visible to RCMP patrols.
Only reported instance of burglary: RCMP
According to the RCMP, the Boucher residence, situated on a five-acre (two-hectare) orchard, is the sole reported case of break-in and theft during the Summerland wildfire evacuation period.
Officers had been monitoring over 5,000 vacant homes in Summerland for two weeks while the evacuation orders were enforced, as stated by police.
Barricades, which were staffed continuously by security and police officers, had been erected around the entire community to bar vehicle access.
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Authorities are currently collaborating with the Bouchers to recover their lost items. Recently, they were able to provide some encouraging news to the family.
“They located many of our personal belongings — birth certificates, IDs, and various business documents — in a wagon near the trestles bridge,” Carl shared.
He also mentioned that the RCMP may have uncovered additional leads regarding the whereabouts of their remaining belongings.
The investigation remains ongoing, and the Boucher family is now focused on rebuilding, getting back into their home, and coping with what they describe as an unsettling feeling — the knowledge that someone invaded their space and rummaged through their possessions without permission.
