Animal sanctuary among evacuees of Summerland wildfire

When the Bald Range fire intensified on Friday night, many locals rushed to evacuate their homes. However, Faith Affleck, who runs Stars Piggly Wiggly Sanctuary in Summerland, B.C., had to consider the welfare of her rescued pigs. Affleck told Global News that the past 72 hours have been incredibly challenging. Her fiancé, Trevor, stayed behind to protect the farm, putting in a tremendous effort despite having no power.

He managed to provide water and keep him company by running his coffee maker with a little power box. However, Affleck expressed that there has been no fire activity on their property in the last 24 hours, which she described as miraculous.

The fire spread down the back of their hill, leaving all structures on their property intact. Affleck explained that the fire came down the back of their hill and didn't cause any damage to their house, which is closer to the road. The only structure at the back of their property is a pig pen where Affleck keeps one of her rescued pigs, which is in excellent condition. Furthermore, the fence surrounding the property remains unharmed, and there are no spot fires on the land.

Faith Affleck has barely slept in recent days due to her constant worry, but she knew that Trevor wouldn't leave the pigs alone. "He put his foot down," she said. "He said he wasn't leaving at all. He told me that even before it got really bad; he said that he’s not leaving." Although there is a farm down the road from Affleck's, which is fine except for a few deceased chickens, other homes on their road did sustain damage.

Affleck expressed her hope that they could return to their sanctuary soon, but stressed that the situation is still ongoing.