Check out this local song about wildfires and community

Part-time performer Taylor Van Zant doesn’t have the financial resources to help community following the recent devastating wildfires in West Kelowna.

But the Rutland resident has his voice, his guitar, and the beautiful words of his wife Katharina Keays who wrote 'Burning Home', a tribute to the resilience of where we live and the people who call it home.

“The essence of this song is just focusing on the community aspect,” Van Zant told Kelowna10. “There’s a lot of ways you can look at what’s happened: through a very horrible lens … or look at it as I’ve never seen our community come together so beautifully.”

Van Zant said for him, it’s all about doing the little things for the people around you.

“Not all of us have the resources or the money to help everyone all the time, but I’ve seen a lot of people do little things: having people stay at their place, provide clothing or food … it’s pretty beautiful to see that add up.

“The reason we live here is because we look after each other. We care about each other and the wellbeing of others.”

Former chef Van Zant's current day job is making sausage and salami for a local market vendor and he also performs gigs around town to help support his young family. Katharina helps run the East Kelowna market and a lot of the vendors there were directly affected by the fires.

The final stanza of the song perhaps best highlights the central message:

As the seasons change and the snowflakes fly

We’ll remember the flames that touched the sky

We’re a community forever bound

In West Kelowna’s heart, hope and love resound.

Check out the video of Taylor Van Zant performing the song.

You can check out the entire song and his other songs here.