Two years after a devastating wildfire ripped through multiple communities near Shuswap Lake in British Columbia, CENTURY 21 Lakeside Realty is once again in its own home.
In July 2023, the Bush Creek East fire caused severe damage to communities around the North Shuswap area, with C21 Lakeside’s Scotch Creek office caught right in its path. Owner Kevin Campbell recalls the speed at which everyone in his community got the word that they had to leave.
“We got the phone call that the fire was coming down the hill and we had to get moving immediately,” he explains. “We didn’t have time to get into the office and take anything out – it got dangerously windy, the evacuation order came in, and everybody ran. In a matter of minutes, the office was gone.”
Thankfully, despite the loss of their office alongside over a hundred structures in the area, no one on the C21 Lakeside team was hurt during the fire or evacuation. Once the smoke had cleared and residents were allowed back in, Kevin took stock of the extent of the damages, but knew that there was no time to slow down.
“We had to do something to keep moving forward, so we found a temporary office. It took us a few months to get in there and get all our utilities up and running, but our landlord was exceptional, and everyone pulled together. It was a sad story at the start, but seeing how we all came together turned it into a very happy story in the end.”
It would take many more months of rebuilding, but this summer, the CENTURY 21 Lakeside Realty office opened the doors to its fully rebuilt location. “It was a lot of ‘hurry up and wait’,” Kevin says, “but we’re in a fully new and improved building, and we’re proud as punch! We have a great location on the main drag, our signage is up, and it looks better than anything else. You know we’ve been here for forty years, so we’re pretty happy with how it’s all turned out.”
As difficult as it was to lose his office, Kevin is incredibly grateful that his team remained safe and has a deep appreciation for the way his community pulled together in the immediate aftermath of the fire. “There were residents doing everything they could to help the firefighters, and it’s unbelievable how everything has been cleaned and rebuilt in just a couple of years. To see everyone pull together, it puts a lump in your throat.”
CENTURY 21 Lakeside Realty has been a part of the CENTURY 21 Canada brand since 1976, one of the first to join the then-new franchise model. Last year, they renewed their commitment to 2029.
Media contact
Lauren MacFarland
CENTURY 21 Canada
Lauren.MacFarland@century21.ca
604-606-215,
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