Finding the Phoenix
Formats: E-Book, Paperback
Ages: 12-15, 16-18, 18+
An evacuee tells her harrowing, unforgettable story of fleeing the largest and most devastating fire in West Kelowna’s history.
August 2023 saw the worst wildfire season the province of B.C. has ever recorded. A major contributor: the McDougall Creek wildfire, which 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, at short notice and under looming threat. Among them was author Judith Hutchinson-Lepore, her husband Lorenzo, and their intrepid Australian shepherd, Oliver. This memoir chronicles their month-long odyssey, enduring nomadic living, emotional turmoil, and the agonizing uncertainty of whether their house had survived.
But it is also a story of hope: 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; the dedicated leaders of West Kelowna; and the determination of a community banding together to overcome an unimaginable catastrophe.
This mesmerizing account serves as both a cautionary tale about natural disasters on the rise, and an inspirational tribute to the resilience of the human spirit.
Reviews
As a longtime fiction writer, Judith Lepore knows a good story when it happens...
“When asked to write a review for Judith Lepore’s memoir, I was instantly drawn to the story… Many people living in places like B.C. have experiences like this one. Descriptions of varying levels of destruction and grief litter the pages. It’s one thing to know that these stories are out there—and another thing entirely to get to know someone through learning about the disintegration and reintegration of their home, their community, and their dreams. Finding the Phoenix is an important story.” The British Columbia Review Magazine
“When the McDougall Creek wildfire tore through West Kelowna in August 2023, author Judith Hutchinson-Lepore was among 35,000 residents evacuated from their homes. Her memoir: Finding the Phoenix: An Evacuee’s Harrowing Story of Being Evacuated from the McDougall Creek Wildfire recounts that terrifying experience—day by day, moment by moment. From the initial scramble to pack up and flee, to the long, uncertain weeks of displacement, Lepore captures the trauma, resilience and emotional toll of living through one of Canada’s worst wildfires on record. What begins as a story of loss becomes a broader reflection of neighbourly compassion, survivor’s guilt, and the strength of a community rallying together. A longtime writer and former newspaper columnist, Lepore previously worked in film, radio and television before turning to novels. Finding the Phoenix reached #1 bestseller status in Amazon’s Canadian Western Provinces Biographies and Memoirs category within a day of its release.” B.C. Book Look Magazine
