Skip to content

VIDEO: Victoria woman recounts driving past wildfire near Peachland

Jenna Smith compared the fire to an apocalypse movie
12821721_web1_180721-wildfire
Jenna Smith

Jenna Smith got a first-hand experience of the Mount Eneas wildfire from the window of her car.

On Wednesday, Smith and her boyfriend were on their way to Penticton after visiting family in West Kelowna, only to be stuck in a four-hour lineup of traffic near Peachland.

“You see the trees candling and you’re like OK, are you going to get through, is this going to happen?” she said. Smith could see the headlights shining directly under the flames.

“Driving through was surreal, because of the steep embankment, you see trees burning above you and think ‘is this safe? I hope so,’” she said

She recorded a video and posted it on Facebook, calling it a scene out of an apocalypse movie.

Growing up in Penticton, the Victoria resident is all-too-familiar with wildfire. Her family in West Kelowna had to be evacuated with their horses a few times, she said.

Her boyfriend was also working in Fort McMurray during the devastating wildfire in 2016.

@carliberry_
carli.berry@kelownacapnews.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.