A Monte Lake resident says the White Rock Lake fire burnt the hairs on his arms but didn’t burn his home, because he stayed behind to protect it.

Rob Cote said he stayed behind and only left briefly on Thursday before a wall of flames blew through the community.

But he said the majority of structures burnt down.

“I don’t know what to say. It’s like something I’ve never seen before, that’s for sure. As far as for the flames goes, the flames were a good 100 feet above my house. It just blew right over us and burnt probably 60 per cent of Monte down.”

Cote said he and others who have stayed behind have saved other homes from being lost.

He said the “biggest blow” has been Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth chastising residents who stayed behind last week. Cote said people who live there have been left to fend for themselves, which he says is much different than what people would experience when they are evacuated in an urban area.

“I will pay his ticket to come to Monte Lake. I will pay his ticket… I will pay his meals. Come and see what we went through, as a community.”

In Juniper Ridge, for example, where thousands of people were evacuated on a moment’s notice on Canada Day after a lightning-caused wildfire, Cote said there was no use for anyone to stay home, saying none would’ve had heavy-duty equipment to help fight the fire and that municipal and provincial firefighters responded promptly. No homes were lost from that fire.

“Up Paxton Valley and all around Monte Lake, there’s a group of guys who never left. They’re going up and around putting out fires all over Paxton, trying to keep whatever is left from burning. There has not been one structural firefighter here,” Cote said.

Farnworth admonished residents who stayed behind, saying firefighting personnel “almost paid with their lives” to evacuate some people in the Monte Lake area. Cote disputes that claim, saying in the small, tight-knit community, he did not know anyone who was tactically evacuated, and adds he did not see any BC Wildfire Service personnel in the community before the fire hit on Thursday afternoon.

Ted Blackwell, of Blackwell Dairy in Barnhartvale, said he thinks some cattle operations in that area will not recover. He characterized “being talked down to” by Farnworth as “adding insult to injury” for residents affected by the fire, many of whom had lost everything just hours earlier.

“These farmers and ranchers are trying to get their cattle out and trying to save their livelihood. I’ll tell you the most frustrating thing is when you don’t see any support from the back end and your being criticized and threatened of being charged and arrested. That’s the most ridiculous thing I ever saw in my life.”

Cote also said more homes would’ve been lost without the work of Tolko assisting residents, saying staff with the forest company have built fire breaks in many areas.

Now, with temperatures expected to heat back up and winds in the forecast, Cote says he and other locals are continuing to watch for hot spots and are hoping fireguards hold.

The BC Wildfire Service said this morning the fire was showing more activity on its eastern flank yesterday, with skimmers hitting an area near Nashwito Road, just west of Okanagan Lake. The service says with cooler weather in recent days, the fire has dropped to rank one and two fire activity, meaning some areas are smouldering and some areas have low open flame.

The fire that started on July 13 is now 55,600 hectares in size, and remains out of control, while thousands of people remain evacuated from Monte Lake and Paxton Valley further east, including Westwold, Killiney Beach and much of the Okanagan Indian Band.