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Finding the Phoenix: An evacuee's harrowing story of fleeing the McDougall Creek wildfire
An evacuee tells her harrowing, unforgettable, true story of fleeing the largest and most devastating fire in the history in West Kelowna’s history.
August 2023 saw the worst wildfire season the province of B.C. has ever recorded. A major the McDougall Creek wildfire, a small blaze that expanded rapidly into an inferno of such terrifying proportions (13,970 hectares/34,522 acres) that firefighters feared it might be unstoppable.
Over the next few days, 35,000 residents were evacuated, and another 30,000 under evacuation alert. Among them were author Judith Hutchinson-Lepore, her husband Lorenzo, and their intrepid Australian shepherd, Oliver.
With almost no time to decide what to take or where to go, they embarked on a month-long odyssey of nomadic living and emotional rollercoasters, while enduring the agonizing uncertainty of whether their house had survived.
This is Judith’s riveting account of being forced to flee their home under the looming threat. It pulls the reader directly into the nightmare world of a horrific wildfire that ravaged 35,000 acres of stunning Central Okanagan woodland and wildlife, destroyed almost 200 homes, and displaced tens of thousands of people, changing their lives in an instant.
But it is also a story of Finding the Phoenix and rising from the ashes. A testament to the courage of the 500 firefighters from across the province who risked life and limb to fight the blaze; to the leaders of West Kelowna and its law enforcement officers, who strove to protect the wildfire’s victims; and the determination of our community who banded together to overcome an unimaginable catastrophe.
Woven throughout the memoir are 50+ photographs, haunting and captivating, along with news excerpts as the crisis unfolds. The account is mesmerizing, as both a cautionary tale about natural disasters ‘on the rise’ and an inspirational tribute to the resilience of the human spirit.
August 2023 saw the worst wildfire season the province of B.C. has ever recorded. A major the McDougall Creek wildfire, a small blaze that expanded rapidly into an inferno of such terrifying proportions (13,970 hectares/34,522 acres) that firefighters feared it might be unstoppable.
Over the next few days, 35,000 residents were evacuated, and another 30,000 under evacuation alert. Among them were author Judith Hutchinson-Lepore, her husband Lorenzo, and their intrepid Australian shepherd, Oliver.
With almost no time to decide what to take or where to go, they embarked on a month-long odyssey of nomadic living and emotional rollercoasters, while enduring the agonizing uncertainty of whether their house had survived.
This is Judith’s riveting account of being forced to flee their home under the looming threat. It pulls the reader directly into the nightmare world of a horrific wildfire that ravaged 35,000 acres of stunning Central Okanagan woodland and wildlife, destroyed almost 200 homes, and displaced tens of thousands of people, changing their lives in an instant.
But it is also a story of Finding the Phoenix and rising from the ashes. A testament to the courage of the 500 firefighters from across the province who risked life and limb to fight the blaze; to the leaders of West Kelowna and its law enforcement officers, who strove to protect the wildfire’s victims; and the determination of our community who banded together to overcome an unimaginable catastrophe.
Woven throughout the memoir are 50+ photographs, haunting and captivating, along with news excerpts as the crisis unfolds. The account is mesmerizing, as both a cautionary tale about natural disasters ‘on the rise’ and an inspirational tribute to the resilience of the human spirit.
246 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 15, 2025
About the author
Judith Lepore
6 books4 followersJudith Lepore wrote and edited for years in film, radio, and television. An avid reader since early childhood, she always gravitated toward fantasy.
Pursuing her lifelong dream of becoming a fiction author, Judith published her debut novel in 2021, garnering rave reviews. Where the Moon Has Been is a thrilling epic fantasy tale, first in The Magic of Miraven series. It is available in eBook, paperback, and audiobook.
The eagerly awaited sequel, Mirror of the Sea, was published in 2022, in ebook and print format. And now the third in the trilogy is available: In the Hall of Shiftings.
After moving to Kelowna, B.C. in 2022, Judith and her husband endured the horrifying ordeal of being evacuated from the McDougall Creek wildfire, and was compelled to chronicle her month long odyssey in the riveting memoir "Finding the Phoenix."
Pursuing her lifelong dream of becoming a fiction author, Judith published her debut novel in 2021, garnering rave reviews. Where the Moon Has Been is a thrilling epic fantasy tale, first in The Magic of Miraven series. It is available in eBook, paperback, and audiobook.
The eagerly awaited sequel, Mirror of the Sea, was published in 2022, in ebook and print format. And now the third in the trilogy is available: In the Hall of Shiftings.
After moving to Kelowna, B.C. in 2022, Judith and her husband endured the horrifying ordeal of being evacuated from the McDougall Creek wildfire, and was compelled to chronicle her month long odyssey in the riveting memoir "Finding the Phoenix."
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 8, 2025
A departure from Judith’s fantasy writing, she has written this personal real life account as an evacuee of the 2023 McDougall Creek wildfire in West Kelowna, BC. Detailing the emotion, despair, resilience and renewal of this devastating event, Judith’s masterful narrative helps us understand what it was like to experience this horrific and tragic event not just for her but for her community; neighbours, fire fighters, family, friends, and also, some miracles that came of it.
Seeing on the news our country and others in the world burning up as we speak, not to mention the haze of wildfire smoke that has become almost the norm in our own communities, we must come to terms with the sobering fact that Judith’s poignant story could be our own. Finding the Phoenix may, “light a fire” under us to prepare for that eventuality.
Notes at the end of the book provide helpful links for residents in high-risk communities to mitigate the threat of wildfire destruction to their properties. As well, a percentage of the proceeds of this book will be donated to help increase government budgeting for proactive initiatives for wildfire prevention.
I highly recommend this riveting and important memoir.
Seeing on the news our country and others in the world burning up as we speak, not to mention the haze of wildfire smoke that has become almost the norm in our own communities, we must come to terms with the sobering fact that Judith’s poignant story could be our own. Finding the Phoenix may, “light a fire” under us to prepare for that eventuality.
Notes at the end of the book provide helpful links for residents in high-risk communities to mitigate the threat of wildfire destruction to their properties. As well, a percentage of the proceeds of this book will be donated to help increase government budgeting for proactive initiatives for wildfire prevention.
I highly recommend this riveting and important memoir.
August 12, 2025
Finding the Phoenix is a raw, detailed and very interesting account of what it was like to live through the McDougall Creek fire. Reading Judith’s words I felt as if I was there with her and her husband as they went through every agonizing day. It’s emotional, educational and a bit of a wake up call to all of us living in BC.
June 28, 2025
Thanks so much to Judith Lepore and Reedsy for the ARC!
See my full review at https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/fin...
See my full review at https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/fin...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews