A Vancouver Island artist has returned to her home studio after being evacuated due to a nearby wildfire, but she still feels anxious about the situation. Ina-Griet Raatz-von Hirschhausen lives a few kilometers from the Wesley Ridge wildfire near Cameron Lake. Although she was allowed back this week, she is hesitant to retrieve half of her art collection, which was moved to a friend's house during the evacuation.

Raatz-von Hirschhausen evacuated with her husband and two cats late Sunday. She recalls the moment she received the evacuation notice, saying, "I thought my home was lost as soon as the evacuation notice was issued. That was the very worst moment of the whole thing."

According to the B.C. Wildfire Service, the fire showed minimal growth overnight. Firefighting teams, including those from the Okanagan, are focusing on containment and protecting nearby homes. The service noted that fire intensity may fluctuate over the weekend due to rising temperatures. Recent cool and wet weather has reduced the number of active fires in British Columbia to just over 100, with more than 160 fires declared out in the past week.

Despite the progress, hundreds of properties were evacuated. While some residents have returned home, 300 addresses remain under evacuation order, and over 350 are on alert. Raatz-von Hirschhausen mentioned that firefighters informed her that no structures have been lost due to the fire. She praised the crews for their efforts, stating they are doing "wonders" in protecting homes even closer to the fire than hers.

“It’s a highly emotional experience, and I actually wish that nobody ever needs to evacuate,” she said. Raatz-von Hirschhausen was at an art show when she called her husband to check on the fire's status. He reassured her that they were still on alert. However, upon arriving home, she saw police officers at the corner of her road, which heightened her anxiety.

“I still assumed everything will be all right,” she recalled. An officer asked for her address and then told her she could go in to grab her belongings. "That was really, really a bad moment," she said.

After staying with friends, Raatz-von Hirschhausen returned home, but the fear of losing her house lingered. Half of her artwork, accumulated over the last 20 years, could still be at risk if the fire spreads. "I need my studio," she emphasized, explaining that the days spent evacuated were among the worst she has experienced.

“I need to make something creative every day; otherwise, I get super nervous,” she said. "And I couldn’t do anything. So to me, it was really not nice. I still notice it now. I would assume it might take a little while until all of that gets out of the system."