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Authors who stayed during a wildfire evacuation talking about their subsequent book at the Revelstoke Library

The event is coming up Oct. 3
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Captured by Fire: Surviving British Columbia’s New Wildfire Reality alternates between these two authors’ dramatic first-person accounts of their experience throughout the summer that the evacuation order came and they decided to stay behind. (Submitted)

Meet bestselling author and wilderness author Chris Czajkowski at a slide show, talk and book signing for Captured by Fire: Surviving British Columbia’s New Wildfire Reality, at the Revelstoke branch of the Okanagan Regional Library on Oct. 3 at 12.

Czajkowski co-authored her newest book with debut author and homesteader Fred Reid.

The illustrated talk, which is centred around the experiences described in the book, focuses on one of B.C.’s worst wildfire seasons on record. In 2017, wildfires dominated the headlines, over two hundred fires setting records for the largest total area burnt and the largest number of total evacuees in one fire season.

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In and around the towns of 100 Mile House, Ashcroft, Cache Creek, Princeton and Williams Lake, nearly ten thousand people received instructions to evacuate immediately and some of them would be unable to return to their homes for months.

But when the evacuation order came, not everyone left. Both Czajkowski and Reid stayed behind to protect their properties, animals, and livelihoods. Living in remote areas, they both knew that their homes would be of low priority to officials when firefighting resources were deployed.

Chris Czajkowski will be speaking about her new book Captured by Fire: Surviving British Columbia’s New Wildfire Reality, with co-author Fred Reid at the Revelstoke public library on Oct. 3. (Submitted)
Captured by Fire alternates between these two authors’ dramatic first-person accounts of their experience throughout the summer. As lightning strikes started new fires and strong winds fanned existing ones, alerts fluctuated and even the fire fighters pulled out. Both authors eventually had to decide: when is it time to go?

Their chronicle makes a fascinating and at times harrowing read for anyone interested in the ongoing wildfire problem in this province, and what it’s like to live through it up close.

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Czajkowski has written eleven other books about her nearly thirty years of wilderness living, including Snowshoes and Spotted Dick, A Mountain Year, A Wilderness Dweller’s Cookbook, Ginty’s Ghost, Harry and Lonesome. She lives in Kleena Kleene, B.C.

Reid has worked in agriculture his whole life. He spent over thirty years farming in the Fraser Valley before moving to the Chilcotin.

He contributed to the organic standard for certified organic farming in B.C. and assisted with the writing of Thailand’s organic standard. This is his first book. He lives in Anahim Lake, B.C.

Admission is free and everyone is welcome. The Revelstoke Library is located at 605 Campbell Avenue. For more information about the slide show and talk, please phone 250-837-5095. Books will also be for sale at the event.


 

@RevelstokeRevue
editor@revelstoketimesreview.com

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