Church fire could halt music

The Kamloops Music Collective is in need of new instruments after most were lost to a fire that broke out in the Kamloops United Church in August.

Stored beneath the section of the church that caught fire, about 30 drums and more than 40 guitars — 30 acoustic and a dozen electric — were among the gear lost to water damage after firefighters doused the blaze.

The fire sent black smoke into the sky above downtown Kamloops on Aug. 13 and attracted a crowd of onlookers to the corner of Fourth Avenue and St. Paul Street. The cause of the fire was determined to not be suspicious.

Rachel Reid, Kamloops Music Collective program co-ordinator, said the instruments were used in each of the music collective’s 10 programs.

The collective is a registered charity, describing itself as a grassroots organization that works to better the music community in Kamloops. It offers year-round programming, including the popular KISSM summer camps.

Reid said approximately 400 registrants passed through KMC programs last year. She said the loss of the instruments is “pretty catastrophic.”

“When the firefighters did their amazing work, unfortunately it flooded the basement, and with the heat of the summer and the moisture down there, everything kind of got ruined with mold,” she said.

“Almost our entire collection of guitars, both acoustic and electric, got lost, our drum line equipment, which we do lend out to schools sometimes, most of that got destroyed, our djembes and our other hand bongos and drums like that, they also got destroyed.”

'Every little bit helps'

Reid said the music collective is preparing for its spring break camps but is short on supplies.

“We don't really have any of our regular instruments that we would be using with the younger students,” she said.

Since the loss of the instruments, Reid said she has seen an outpouring of support with donations of sound equipment, a guitar and even new plants for the office.

But money is still needed to replace the lost gear and “every little bit helps,” she said.

“Whether it's just been kind words of support on Facebook or on Instagram, everyone's always cheering us on,” Reid said.

“We're running an Amazon wishlist ... as well as our 50/50 draw which goes until Dec. 16, and then we have our regular ongoing canadahelps.org.”

When the fire broke out, 40 children and staff were evacuated from the church during the second day of a musical theatre camp.

The Kamloops United Church has been holding its services at the Mount Paul Community Food Centre since the blaze. The PIT Stop program run out of the church has been handing out food to community members in need from the YMCA parking lot since the fire.