B.C. premier tours Kamloops-area wildfire evacuee camp, promises support

B.C. residents forced to flee their homes due to fast-moving wildfires just days ago had a chance to share their stories, face-to-face with Premier David Eby, two of his ministers and the federal minister of emergency preparedness Tuesday as the foursome began a tour of fire-ravaged areas.

Eby heard first-hand accounts of people who narrowly escaped destructive fires in the province's Shuswap, had their homes destroyed, or still do not know if they're still standing.

"It's a remarkable thing to see the strength of people here and the resilience and also to know how much road is ahead to recover from what is still an ongoing emergency in this area," Eby told reporters at the site in the Rayleigh neighbourhood of Kamloops, along Highway 5.

He was also joined by Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir and Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson.

Eby and the others also heard criticism of the provincial response in areas such as Scotch Creek, where people have defied evacuation orders to try to protect homes and keep supplies coming into the area.

"For all of those folks, this is an incredibly fluid, dynamic and dangerous situation. The emergency response teams are doing the best they can in very challenging circumstances," said Eby.

Officials rapidly set up a series of modular houses, connected by a wooden boardwalk system for evacuees, over what is a dry, dusty ground near sports playing fields.

Many of the people staying at the site are members of the Skwla̓x te Secwe̓pemcu̓lecw (Little Shuswap Lake Band), where homes were destroyed by what is now known as the Bush Creek East wildfire.

It's burning out of control about 23 kilometres northwest of Chase, on the west side of Adams Lake and is estimated to be 410 kilometres in size.

The leader of Skwla̓x te Secwe̓pemcu̓lecw, Ku̓kpi7 James Tomma, greeted Eby and the provincial Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Bowin Ma, Minister of Forests Bruce Ralston, and Federal Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan as they arrived at the site.

He told them about the destruction, loss and heartache the people in his community have faced as the fire swept through it.

"I knew it was being devastated," he said. "The process of rebuilding, I'm prevailing on the government on all levels to assist us … my people are going to have to go back to the new reality.

"There's nothing there now."

WATCH | Shuswap community members share stories of running from fast-moving wildfire:

Members of Skwla̓x te Secwe̓pemcu̓lecw chronicle tales of survival, losses over Shuswap wildfire

1 year ago

Duration 2:38

B.C. Premier David Eby toured a Kamloops-area camp set up for wildfire evacuees on Tuesday where nearly 60 people are staying after being forced from their homes due to the Bush Creek East wildfire.

'Where's more help?'

Everyone in his community is accounted for, but several members have lost their homes, said Tomma, including his own.

The band plans to hold a community meeting Wednesday afternoon to better communicate the extent of the destruction there.

Meanwhile, other residents at the camp, such as Alanna Stearns and her husband, Rod Poffinbarger, who lost their homes in the Lee Creek area, where they've lived for 50 years, told the premier about their frustrations over the response to Bush Creek.

The couple described neighbours defying evacuation orders in the area to put out spot fires on their own.

"I've got brothers there right now fighting the spot fires," said Poffinbarger, fighting back tears. "They stayed. We need help."

"Where's more help for people that are on the north shore (of Shuswap Lake), fighting this fire, trying to feed people? They're frustrated because they can't get supplies in. They're being stopped by police boats," said Stearns.

"We feel like that whole community has been left behind," they said. "People are exhausted."

Eby and the other leaders listened to the complaints and acknowledged the anxiety people are facing and how they are trying to help with the response but said evacuation orders must be respected due to the risk of theft, vandalism and safety.

"It's a challenging time. There's a huge level of stress … I totally understand," he said.

He said that people remaining in evacuated areas could end up getting in the way of the B.C. Wildfire Service and need rescuing, putting people's lives in danger.

"So please follow the directions of the firefighters … first responders. They're there to co-ordinate the effort, to save lives first and to protect property as much as we can," said Eby.

Eby and his entourage will also tour areas around Kelowna and West Kelowna on Tuesday.