Summerland family feels 'violated' after burglary during wildfire evacuation
Mira Boucher and her family had just moved into their home weeks before it was ransacked
When the threat of wildfire dissipated and people could return home, a family in Summerland B.C., was shocked to find their house in shambles.
Their house was not destroyed by the Bald Range wildfire, as they feared.
Instead, Mira Boucher says her home was ransacked by looters while her community was empty and vulnerable — with every single house vacant under the evacuation order.
"Unfortunately, when we opened the front door, and the kids rushed in, someone had clearly been through the house," said Boucher.
"The kids are doing their best, but it's very traumatic. Especially after the trauma that preceded that with the wildfire evacuation," she added.
She and her family had only just moved into their house in Summerland a few weeks before the Bald Range wildfire sparked, and many of their belongings were still in boxes.
From their balcony on Aug. 7, the Boucher family watched flames crest the nearby mountain before grabbing what they could and leaving.
She said they had to flee quickly, in the middle of the night, with almost no notice.
"Just the clothes on your back, and a bag with some essentials," she said.
Boucher said after spending weeks on Vancouver Island while their community was placed under an evacuation order, her kids were eager to return home and see their rooms and belongings again.
"When we got to the bedrooms, you could see everything, every closet and dresser had been flipped out, thrown on the beds, thrown on the floor. They were looking for valuables anywhere that we might have stored them," said Boucher.
"And then it just got worse and worse."
A door had been pried open, and small items including her kids’ piggy banks, gaming setups and sports gear were taken.
Her jewelry and computer — along with that of her husband Carl — were stolen, and personal documents like birth certificates were also gone.
"We were violated in the place that was supposed to be the safest," Boucher said, adding that before bed every night, her children have been asking if they are safe.
WATCH | RCMP looking into cause of Bald Range fire:Boucher suspects her family’s larger valuables, like bikes, were left behind because they could not be carried out undetected by thieves without a car.
She also says their treed acreage was targeted because it is more secluded than that of their neighbours, and may have been less likely to be noticed by RCMP patrol cars.
Only reported instance of burglary: RCMP
The RCMP said the Boucher’s home, located on a five-acre (two-hectare) orchard, is the only reported instance of break-in and theft from the time of the Summerland wildfire evacuation orders.
Officers were patrolling near more than 5,000 empty homes in Summerland for two weeks while the evacuation orders were in place, according to police.
Barricades, monitored around the clock by security and police officers, had been set up all around the community, preventing vehicle entry.
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Police are now working with the Bouchers to recover what was lost. Recently, they were able to share some positive news with the family.
"They found lots of our personal items — birth certificates, IDs, various business-related papers — in a wagon near the trestles bridge," said Carl.
He added that the RCMP may also have also found clues, pointing them in the direction of where the rest of their belongings may have been taken.
The investigation is still underway, and the Boucher family is now working to rebuild, settle back into their home and overcome what they describe as a creepy feeling — of knowing someone entered your home and rifled through all of your belongings without consent.
With files from Benoît Ferradini and Kimberly Davidson