Over the summer of 2023, my home was nearly burnt down by a vicious forest fire. The forest fire was considered one of the fastest spreading fires in BC history, growing 20 kilometres wide in just 12 hours. The residents of Shuswap Lake and Adams Lake were left fleeing their homes with the fire being less than 100 meters away before they realized it. My dad and my uncle have a business up in the Shuswap that was burned in half. It puts into perspective the selectiveness that a forest fire has. It hops, skips, bounces, dodges, and lands on whatever it feels like. No one knew if the town of Scotch Creek was going to be safe. Luckily, not all of it was burnt down. The fire was savage, and it made some residents turn savage too by using the distraction of the fire as an opportunity to steal from vacant homes and break into facilities such as my father's and my uncle's.

Despite the darkness of what happened, an incredible union was formed from the locals who decided to fight back against the raging fire. My uncle fought off the fire before the firefighters and helicopters could help and managed to stop some of the fire in its tracks, saving his and his neighbours' homes. Sparked by these heroic actions that occurred all over the town, the locals of Shuswap created the tag “#ShuswapStrong,” which became the symbol of the heroes of our town and the inspiration for naming this photo.

My photo was shot from my drone, near the end of the fire's rage. The shot is taken from above, looking straight down at the ground. When you look closely, the trees you see are the shadows of the trees still standing. This photo was taken in the morning while the sun was still low and cast these long silhouettes of the burnt-up forest near my dad's burnt-down business. When I see this photo, I think of what my uncle did to save the homes of his neighbours. I think of the locals everywhere else that were brave enough to fight against this fire. And I think of the strength of the community and how everyone is doing their best to lift each other.