Cut off: wildfire road closures prompt 'panic buying' in some B.C. towns

Some smaller communities in B.C. are claiming they are the "forgotten towns" of the wildfires because road closures are cutting off valuable supplies. 

According to the latest highway closures, supply trucks aren't able to access cities like Horsefly, B.C., northeast of Williams Lake.

Local rancher Santino Marazzo says a number of evacuees are visiting from other communities such as 100 Mile House, Williams Lake and Miocene.  

"We have very little food left in our store," said Marazzo. "The other thing that we were in dire need of was medication for those that are suffering from various ailments ... however that arrived [Tuesday]."

The community also had to ration gas supplies until a fuel truck arrived Monday with $50 of fuel per person.

Marazzo says there has been no communication with the regional or provincial district and the community is relying on each other and the local fire station.

"We've been resilient and we've been pulling together. The people of Horsefly have been just unbelievable just helping each other," said Marazzo.

It's a similar situation 500 kilometres west in Hagensborg, B.C., where the city is also feeling the effects of closures on Highway 20.

Since Sunday afternoon, the shelves have been bare at the Hagensborg Mercantile.

"We're not able to get the trucks through all the roads shut down," said owner Roger Brandt. "There's been some panic buying so the shelves kind of are cleaned off."

"We're very low on perishables. All the dairy products are gone. Many of the produce and meat items are gone," Brandt added.

Around 2,000 people rely on Brandt's store and the Bella Coola Co-op, the other store in the community facing similar concerns.

Although the city does have a local airport, perishables usually arrive on trucks from Vancouver twice a week.

With no word of when roads will be cleared, Brandt is working to get trucks from Vancouver to his store as soon as possible.

In response to the lack of supplies, Kevin Skrepnek, B.C.'s chief fire information officer, says the B.C. Wildfire Service is just ensuring communication continues for the time being. 

"Because they are currently cut off in terms of communications, our ministry has provided them with satellite phones so they can stay in contact. But that is the extent that I know of from the Wildfire Service," said Skrepnek. 

Those in need of food, shelter and prescriptions are encouraged to seek support at local emergency social services reception centres, but some residents in Horsefly and Hagensborg say that's not enough.

With files from Farrah Merali