Fire consumes home; passing motorist helps couple

A structure fire on Highway 97, north of Oliver likely started as a chimney fire, said Oliver fire chief Dave Janzen.

"The cause of the fire was the wood stove chimney," he said.

The call came in about 4:45 a.m. Sunday morning, after a man by the name of Bob Engen, believed to be from Oliver, drove by the home.

"He saw the smoke and didn’t think things were good, so he made a u-turn, and went back," said Janzen. The elderly couple in the home, owned by the Nazaroffs, were already awake, and Engen helped to get them out.

The fire department responded with about five trucks, and 25 crew members. They stayed on the scene until about 7:30 a.m., and a few stayed on until 10:30 a.m. to watch for hotspots.

"The fire was basically up in the roof," Janzen said. "The roof of the structure was completely destroyed. The interior of the house suffered smoke and water damage."

He said the home and the contents were insured, and the home can likely be salvaged. The owners would have to strip the inside, and replace the insulation, wiring and plumbing.

The Nazaroffs were taken to the South Okanagan General Hospital as a precaution, and will be staying with their son, who lives nearby.

The Nazaroffs’ son, Dan Nazaroff, said the crews handled the situation very well.

"We were very impressed with the fire department," he said. Also, a man with the BC Ambulance service somehow ended up with some photographs out of the home, and returned them to the family several hours later.

Lucky Lotto 6/49 winners

Chris Murray stopped at Eastside Grocery on Saturday, April 29, to buy slushies for his kids. Then, he remembered his kids were visiting with others.

"You know what happens when you buy two slurpees for four kids," he said. So, he upped the order to buy drinks for them all. Then, he made a last-minute purchase.

"I decided just to get a $7 Quick Pick," he said. It was a lucky decision.

"Best seven bucks I ever spent," he said with a laugh.

On Tuesday, Chris heard on the radio someone from Oliver had won some money in the Lotto 6/49.

"I was right by Vaseaux Lake, I remember that," he said. His wife, Kristina, heard the same thing while she was driving their two children to school.

When he got back to his shop – the Murrays own Oliver OK Tire – he called his wife and suggested she check the ticket. She went on-line, and found out they matched five numbers plus the bonus.

That meant they won $110,729.

They went back to Eastside Grocery to confirm the facts. Doug Choi, who has owned the store for eight years, double checked the numbers.

"We waited for all the customers to leave, and then it came up on the screen," said Kristina. "I started to cry."

They had to go to Kamloops to claim their prize, but they didn’t go until Wednesday.

"We had lots to do. We had to serve the customers," Chris said.

They were only one number off from winning the $8 million, and they aren’t giving up. While at the store on Friday, Chris bought another ticket – a $7 Quick Pick.

But for now, they have to figure out what to do with the $100,000. By Friday they had already received calls from five strangers, asking for donations.

They will take a vacation, but not now – it’s a busy time of year at the shop, they said.

The only thing they know for sure is they will buy a trampoline for their kids – a boy, four years old, and a girl, aged six.

"We’ll probably pay a few bills and put the rest in the bank," said Chris.

Choi said it’s the second time since he has owned the store that someone has won from a ticket purchased at his store. About five years ago, another local couple won $50,000. It was good for business.

"It makes people a little superstitious," he said. "They say it’s a lucky store."

Drugs and alcohol at Oliver Elementary School

Principal David Fairbrother said it’s been 12 years since drugs or alcohol have shown up at Oliver Elementary School, but as luck would have it they both showed up in one week – in two separate incidents.

"It’s a very unique and specific situation," Fairbrother said. "I don’t even have kids smoking cigarettes."

Last week, there were a couple of incidents that have started rumours and created worry among some parents.

In one of the cases, a girl in grade five brought wine to school in a stainless steel coffee cup, and shared sips with two others. Later, a grade six student was found to have a small quantity of marijuana in her purse.

Fairbrother thinks the rumours about the incidents might have been overblown. He is urging parents with concerns to contact him for details, about what happened and how it was handled.

The students each received three-days out-of-school suspension, and two-days of in-school suspension.

District policy recommends a minimum of five days suspension, he said, but that is written more for high school. Fairbrother said he believes, because of his knowledge of the children involved and the situation, the punishment assigned fits the crime.

Sonia Mason is a very concerned parent. She has three children who attend Oliver Elementary, and she’s worried about how the situation was handled, and what kind of message it sends to the children.

"The kids shouldn’t be back at school already, shouldn’t be taking part in extracurricular activities," Mason said. "You need to set a precedent for future offenders. A few days off school? Big deal."

She wants to see more action taken. For example, a school assembly, to remind the children about the penalties they might face if they bring substances to school. She also wants to make sure the teachers are all informed and the information isn’t being swept under the rug.

"Call a meeting. Do the TA’s (Teacher’s Assistants) know what to watch for on the playground?"

For Fairbrother, the bottom line is the unusual nature of the situation.

"It’s incredible that we never deal with it (more often), given some of the issues the high school deals with, and community acceptance in general."

He said this is the only suspension for any reason that has occurred at the elementary this year, and they are taking it seriously. The teachers have each spoken to their classes, and have explained the situation while trying not to make too big a deal of it.

"I treat it seriously, but I don’t treat it as an indicator of a serious problem," Fairbrother said. "I don’t want people to think our elementary schools are in trouble – because they are not."

Infrequent problems

It is a given that school administrators are never eager to see anything they perceive as negative appearing in the local press. So it was with a minor story about a few students bringing alcohol and pot to a local elementary school.

We are inevitably urged to suppress these stories because they will only feed the belief by some in our community who are convinced that the schools are dens of iniquity. That some might misinterpret the news is always a risk but there are risks involved in silence as well. Not the least is that rumours are brought home by the pupils which may have only a tenuous connection to the actual events.

In any case, the events at Oliver Elementary can also be viewed as a good news story. This incident is the first in about a dozen years. It is hardly a den of iniquity at that frequency.

Administrators would prefer the good news stories to involve scholastic excellence or outstanding service, but the general community also wants to hear confirmation that problems - even if infrequent - are being dealt with.

They are reassured to know administration is prepared to discuss the issues, and is not trying to sweep them under the rug.