Missions and Service
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Bad News, Good News:
B.C. Is Losing Homes to Wildfire — But We Already Have the People Who Can Help Rebuild Them
The next step in disaster recovery may not be another government program. It may be government making it easier for Canadians to help Canadians.
August 16, 2026
There is bad news coming out of British Columbia again this summer.
Homes have burned. Families have been evacuated. Entire communities are facing months and years of rebuilding.
But there is also good news.
Across Canada and the United States, there are already churches, charities, veterans, tradespeople, retired workers, cooks, truck drivers, equipment operators and ordinary volunteers who have shown that communities can do much more than wait for government.
The equipment exists.
The skilled people exist.
The volunteer organizations exist.
Factory-built housing exists.
And thousands of people are willing to help.
What appears to be missing is the infrastructure that connects all of those pieces before the disaster happens.
Government has an important role. But that role does not have to mean government doing everything.
Sometimes government's most useful job is to clear the road so communities can get to work.
BAD NEWS: The Housing Recovery Gap Is Real
British Columbia is very good at telling us how many people have been evacuated and how many structures have burned.
It is much harder to answer a simpler question:
How many families who lost their homes are permanently back in a rebuilt home one, two, three or five years later?
That matters.
A hotel room is not a rebuilt home.
A temporary trailer is not a rebuilt home.
An insurance settlement is not a rebuilt home.
A building permit is not a rebuilt home.
Recovery should ultimately be measured by something much simpler:
Did the family get home?
1. Okanagan Indian Band — Bradley Creek wildfire, 2026
This is one of the biggest immediate rebuilding challenges in British Columbia.
Okanagan Indian Band Chief Dan Wilson estimated that approximately 230 homes were destroyed by the Bradley Creek wildfire. Key community infrastructure, including the daycare and new school, was saved, but the residential losses are enormous. (AP News)
That potentially means hundreds of households now beginning the long road through:
insurance, damage assessments, financing, temporary accommodation, design, permitting, contractors, materials and finally reconstruction.
OKIB already has a housing department responsible for Band housing and infrastructure, but a disaster of this scale is far beyond ordinary housing administration. (Okanagan Indian Band)
Okanagan Indian Band Public Works & Housing: 250-542-3444.
2. Summerland, Faulder and Peachland — Bald Range wildfire, 2026
The Bald Range fire forced more than 20,000 people to evacuate from the Okanagan region and destroyed homes as it raced toward Summerland and surrounding communities. Damage assessments were still underway in mid-August, so we should not pretend that a reliable final housing-loss number exists yet. (AP News)
That number will come.
Then another number should be published beside it:
How many households actually get rebuilt?
Not just this year, but every year until the recovery is complete.
3. Lytton — five years later
Lytton should be the warning.
Approximately 90% of the Village's buildings were destroyed in 2021. The Village says approximately 100 homes and businesses were lost. (Village of Lytton)
By September 2025, approximately 20 single-family homes had been rebuilt. In 2026 the Village was still reporting roughly 20 rebuilt and occupied homes and was actively seeking additional turnkey housing for essential workers. (Village of Lytton)
Five years.
That does not mean governments, residents or contractors did nothing. Rebuilding a destroyed community is extraordinarily complicated.
But it does demonstrate that:
Emergency response can happen in hours. Permanent housing recovery can take years.
That gap is precisely where additional community capacity could help.
4. North Shuswap — Bush Creek East wildfire, 2023
The Bush Creek East wildfire destroyed 176 structures across Adams Lake, Scotch Creek, Lee Creek and Celista. (Mennonite Disaster Service)
Then something important happened.
Mennonite Disaster Service moved in.
Approximately 400 volunteers worked over five months in 2024. They constructed four new homes and repaired four more. MDS returned in 2025 to build another home near Adams Lake and undertake additional repairs. (Mennonite Disaster Service)
Five homes against a disaster involving 176 destroyed structures may seem small.
It isn't small to the five families who got their homes back.
The lesson is not that MDS should somehow rebuild 176 houses itself.
The lesson is that the model works.
The question is whether Canada can scale it.
5. Jasper, Alberta — another useful measurement
Jasper gives us something B.C. should consider copying: a public rebuilding ledger.
After the 2024 wildfire, rebuilding was expected on 374 properties.
As of July 13, 2026:
123 properties were still in preparation/design with no permit application;
68 were in the application process;
46 had approved permits and were ready for construction;
92 were under construction;
only 45 had finished buildings at the occupancy stage. (Parks Canada)
That is roughly 12 finished properties for every 100 requiring rebuilding, almost two years after the fire.
Jasper is doing something valuable simply by publishing those numbers.
B.C. should do the same after every major community wildfire.
6. Denare Beach, Saskatchewan — the problem is national
The 2025 Wolf wildfire destroyed more than 200 homes in Denare Beach, Saskatchewan.
Mennonite Disaster Service is there in 2026, with volunteers scheduled to build four replacement homes. (Mennonite Disaster Service)
Again:
200-plus homes lost.
Four homes being built by one volunteer organization.
The goodwill exists.
The bottleneck is scale.
GOOD NEWS: Canada Already Has an Army of Helpers
They just aren't organized as one army.
Some organizations build houses.
Some clear properties.
Some feed people.
Some run kitchens and bunkhouses.
Some manage volunteers.
Some operate heavy equipment.
Some provide case management.
Some bring mobile showers, generators, freezer trailers and communications equipment.
That is not a weakness.
It means the pieces already exist.
Organizations Canadians can volunteer with
1. Mennonite Disaster Service Canada
Probably the clearest Canadian example of volunteers actually rebuilding permanent homes.
You do not need construction experience to volunteer. MDS specifically welcomes people with and without construction skills. (Mennonite Disaster Service)
Volunteer contact:
1-866-261-1274
mdscanada@mds.org (Mennonite Disaster Service)
2. Samaritan's Purse Canada
This organization brings much more than volunteers.
Its Canadian disaster program reports more than 120 trained personnel, over 70 pieces of specialized equipment and a network exceeding 5,000 Canadian volunteers, with the ability to establish a response within roughly 36–72 hours when activated. (Samaritan's Purse)
This is closer to the self-contained deployment concept we have been looking at.
Volunteer/general contact: 1-800-663-6500
Canadian Disaster Relief emergency activation: 403-770-7470 (Samaritan's Purse)
3. Team Rubicon Canada
Veteran-led, but not veterans-only.
Team Rubicon says anyone willing to serve can join, receive training and potentially deploy. Activated volunteers have transportation, meals, lodging, equipment and supplies covered. (Team Rubicon)
It also trains members in incident command, saw operations, damage assessment and other disaster-response skills. (Team Rubicon)
Contact: Team Rubicon Canada's official volunteer registration and contact system. (Team Rubicon)
4. Christian Aid Ministries Canada
Another group worth much more attention.
Its Rapid Response Services teams are designed to assess Canadian disasters quickly and coordinate volunteers for cleanup, while its Crisis Response Program coordinates volunteers to build and repair houses for low-income disaster victims. (Christian Aid Ministries)
Contact:
519-638-0829
Christian Aid Ministries Canada, Moorefield, Ontario. (Christian Aid Ministries)
5. Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services
Canada already possesses much of the mobile infrastructure we are talking about.
The Salvation Army's Canadian EDS fleet includes mobile kitchens, bunkhouse trailers, shower units, freezer trailers, canteen trucks and portable generating capacity, distributed around the country. (The Salvation Army)
It also actively recruits Emergency Disaster Services volunteers. (The Salvation Army)
Contact:
eds@salvationarmy.ca
905-541-8690 (The Salvation Army)
6. Canadian Red Cross
Red Cross volunteers do much of the work that makes a large recovery operation function: registration, shelter, food, needs assessment, referrals, family support and community assistance. (Canadian Red Cross)
Not every volunteer needs a tool belt.
Volunteer information: 1-844-818-2155
B.C./Western Canada disaster assistance: 1-888-800-6493. (Canadian Red Cross)
7. Habitat for Humanity Canada
Habitat already has a national volunteer construction network.
Nova Scotia demonstrated that it can also be used for wildfire recovery. After the 2023 Upper Tantallon wildfire, Habitat Nova Scotia partnered with the Canadian Red Cross, United Way Halifax, donors and volunteers to rebuild a home for an uninsured couple who had lost their house. (Habitat for Humanity Canada)
National contact:
1-800-667-5137
habitat@habitat.ca (Habitat for Humanity Canada)
8. Local churches and community organizations
These may be the most underestimated part of the system.
A church already has:
a kitchen, washrooms, meeting rooms, parking, local volunteers, community connections and often members who are tradespeople, truckers, business owners, cooks and retirees.
During the North Shuswap response, the success of MDS depended heavily on local community support.
Canada does not need every church to become a construction company.
It needs some of them to become hosts for the people who know how to rebuild.
The Americans Are Showing What Scale Can Look Like
Canada should not copy another country blindly.
But there are some very useful examples south of the border.
God's Pit Crew — Virginia
This is one of the most interesting models we found.
Its volunteers prepare sites, construct homes and provide disaster recovery. For some rebuilding projects, houses are framed at its headquarters, transported to the disaster community and completed on site in about two weeks, then furnished for the recipient. (God's Pit Crew)
Contact:
434-836-4472
contact@godspitcrew.org (God's Pit Crew)
Eight Days of Hope
Eight Days of Hope has developed rapid-response, rebuilding and mass-feeding operations.
Its organization says almost 65,000 volunteers have participated over its history, and it explicitly invites people regardless of age or skill level. (Eight Days of Hope)
Contact:
662-844-6934
info@eightdaysofhope.com (Eight Days of Hope)
Fuller Center Disaster ReBuilders
This organization deliberately focuses on people who fall through the cracks of insurance and government recovery programs. (The Fuller Center for Housing)
Volunteer rebuilding teams are currently operating in long-term disaster recovery projects.
Volunteer coordinator:
Lyn Wilson
346-763-7499
disaster-rebuilders@fullercenter.org (The Fuller Center for Housing)
Baptists on Mission — North Carolina
After Hurricane Helene, this church-based network established five rebuild centres providing volunteer lodging, meals and work assignments.
By June 2026, it reported 915 homes completed through its Helene rebuilding effort.
That number deserves attention.
This isn't four houses.
It isn't twenty houses.
It demonstrates what happens when a volunteer system reaches substantial scale.
And Then There Is the Mobile Base-Camp Idea
The Parker Systems operation we were looking at provides another piece of the puzzle.
The principle is straightforward:
Don't send 100 volunteers into a disaster community and expect that damaged community to somehow feed, house and equip them.
Bring the infrastructure with them.
Imagine a Canadian rebuilding camp consisting of:
53-foot bunk trailers, mobile kitchens, refrigeration, showers, laundry, generators, communications, tool trailers, construction equipment, office space and material storage.
Then the community doesn't need to support the volunteers.
The volunteers support the community.
Canada already has much of that equipment scattered among organizations such as Salvation Army, Samaritan's Purse, MDS and others. (Samaritan's Purse)
The opportunity is to connect it.
GOOD NEWS: B.C. Already Builds Prefabricated Homes
This isn't futuristic technology.
Factory-built permanent housing is already being manufactured in British Columbia.
Here are five companies we found immediately that demonstrate existing capacity.
1. Stattonrock / Simply Living — Abbotsford / Fraser Valley
Builds factory-produced modular and manufactured housing, including CSA A277 modular homes. (Statton Rock)
Principal location: 4401 Glenmore Road, Abbotsford.
Contact: marketing@stattonrock.com. (Statton Rock)
2. Hewing Haus — Chilliwack
Produces CSA A277-certified factory-built homes in sizes ranging from very small units upward. The company says some models can go from purchase to delivery in as little as 12 weeks, depending on the project. (Hewing Haus)
Contact:
604-402-3009
hello@hewinghaus.com
3. Aurora Homes / Aurora Cascade — Chilliwack
A Fraser Valley modular manufacturer operating since 2013 from a 9,000-square-foot shop. Its homes are CSA A277 factory-built. (Aurora Homes)
Contact:
604-705-5000
homes@auroracascade.com
4. Rohe Homes — Surrey
Its Lotus system uses prefabricated modular sections; models include a 530-square-foot one-bedroom unit and a 1,050-square-foot three-bedroom rancher. (Rohehomes Ltd.)
Contact:
1-800-970-9670
info@rohehomes.com
5. Blue Collar Modular Housing — Quesnel
This company is especially interesting because it works with housing, tiny homes, offices, remote camps and schools, and already has experience deploying modular construction around Western Canada. (BLUE COLLAR GROUP)
Modular construction: Kyle Ford — 250-617-6582
First Nations housing: Katie Rodgers — 604-970-9611
Head office: 250-992-9709. (BLUE COLLAR GROUP)
And the B.C. modular industry association says provincial factories are currently operating, on average, at only about one-third of capacity. (Modular BC)
That is a very interesting number.
We have people who need homes.
We have factories capable of producing homes.
We have skilled and retired tradespeople.
We have volunteer organizations.
We have churches and community groups.
We have trucks.
We have equipment.
We have governments already spending enormous amounts on disaster recovery.
Put the pieces together.
You Do Not Have to Be a Carpenter to Rebuild a Community
This may be the most important part.
Disaster rebuilding is not simply construction.
It is also:
Bookkeeping. Somebody has to track donations, receipts, materials and expenditures.
Food preparation. Fifty carpenters accomplish very little if nobody feeds them.
Administration. Somebody answers phones, organizes forms and schedules volunteers.
Truck driving. Homes, trailers, lumber, equipment and food have to move.
Warehousing. Somebody receives and inventories donated materials.
Project management. Somebody matches people with projects.
Retired tradespeople. A retired carpenter, plumber or electrician may not want to work ten-hour days anymore—but that person can supervise younger volunteers.
Equipment operators. Excavators, skid steers, cranes and loaders require experienced people.
Construction workers. Carpenters, roofers, electricians, plumbers, drywallers, painters, concrete workers and labourers are obvious assets.
Cooks and kitchen volunteers.
Computer and communications people.
Case workers.
Drivers.
Church groups.
Service clubs.
Students.
Young people who simply have strong backs and want to help.
The American organizations prove this point particularly well. Eight Days of Hope invites volunteers regardless of skill level, while Fuller Center projects need not only trades but also drivers, office help, logistics and other support. (Eight Days of Hope)
You don't have to swing a hammer to help put somebody back into a house.
Government Still Has a Job — A Very Important One
This is not an argument for government walking away from disaster recovery.
Quite the opposite.
Government has powers that volunteers do not have.
Government can create the framework that allows thousands of Canadians to contribute safely and effectively.
Ottawa already recognizes this principle. In May 2026 the federal government announced $108 million over three years for the Humanitarian Workforce Program, specifically to maintain a trained, scalable civilian NGO workforce that provinces and territories can call upon during major emergencies. (Canada)
That concept should now be carried much further into long-term rebuilding.
What B.C. and Ottawa could do
Create a permanent Community Disaster Rebuild Corps registry before the next fire. Let Canadians register their skills: carpenter, accountant, cook, trucker, electrician, heavy-equipment operator, administrator, nurse, warehouse worker, project manager or general volunteer.
Pre-qualify established NGOs, churches and community organizations. Do the insurance, liability, safety, background-check and operating agreements before a community burns—not afterward.
Create standardized mobile rebuilding camps. Bunk trailers, kitchens, showers, laundries, generators, refrigeration, communications, offices and tool trailers could be staged regionally.
Pre-approve several permanent modular home designs. Instead of starting design and approval from zero after each wildfire, B.C. could maintain approved one-, two- and three-bedroom CSA A277 designs that communities can choose immediately.
Put B.C. modular manufacturers on standing disaster-recovery agreements. Government could competitively pre-qualify manufacturers and establish pricing, specifications and production capacity ahead of time.
Fund materials while qualified volunteer organizations provide labour. That could stretch public recovery dollars considerably further without replacing union contractors or private businesses needed for the bulk of reconstruction.
Fast-track foundations, utilities, permits and inspections for replacement homes. Safety standards should not be weakened. Administrative repetition should.
Establish a local Long-Term Recovery Committee immediately after every major community fire. Local government, First Nation leadership, churches, NGOs, insurers, builders and community representatives should know exactly which households remain unresolved.
Publish a public rebuilding ledger. For every major disaster: homes lost; temporary housing; permits; construction starts; completed homes; occupancy; families returned.
Measure recovery by people permanently housed—not merely dollars announced.
Government Does Not Have to Do Everything
That may be the good news hidden inside all of this bad news.
Canadians have always helped one another.
What has changed is the size and frequency of the events—and therefore the scale of organization required.
A retired carpenter should be able to register in January and say:
“If there is a disaster this summer, I can give two weeks.”
A bookkeeper should be able to say:
“I can work remotely and help a recovery committee keep its accounts straight.”
A church should be able to say:
“We can feed 100 people and house 30 volunteers.”
A trucking company should be able to say:
“We can move two trailers.”
A modular manufacturer should be able to say:
“We can reserve ten production slots for disaster housing.”
An equipment contractor might offer an excavator and operator for a week.
A retired electrician might supervise a crew.
A young apprentice might spend a summer learning while rebuilding somebody's home.
And government should be able to say:
“Here is the safe, insured, approved system. Here are the families who need help. Here are the building plans. Here are the materials. Get to work.”
That is a different way of thinking about disaster recovery.
Not government versus volunteers.
Not charity replacing public responsibility.
Government provides the backbone.
Communities provide much of the muscle.
Industry provides capacity.
Volunteers provide time, skill and heart.
And the objective is beautifully simple:
Get people home.
Because the bad news is that fires will happen again.
The good news is that we already have many of the people, organizations, equipment and housing manufacturers needed to respond differently.
Now we need to build the system that lets them help.
Research note: Current 2026 wildfire loss figures remain preliminary, particularly for the Bald Range/Summerland area. Housing and rebuilding counts should be updated as official damage assessments are released. This article deliberately deals with human recovery, housing and community rebuilding only; wildfire environmental impacts are a separate subject. (AP News)
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