Shuswap Region residents stay to protect homes despite evacuation orders
Posted August 21, 2023 4:45 pm.
Last Updated August 21, 2023 5:06 pm.
Despite evacuation orders remaining in place, some people in B.C.’s Shuswap Region have stayed behind to protect their homes from wildfire.
Ken Smyth lives in Lee Creek, which is under an evacuation order due to the Bush Creek East wildfire. He tells CityNews he left his home when he was ordered to on Friday as the fire threatened his community, but he has since returned now that the worst of the fire appears to be behind them.
“We’re not out stealing anything. We’re just trying to put out fires as we see them that we can manage,” he said.
“We’re just trying to put in fire guards and sometimes the fire department will stop with their water truck and put out hot spots for us. We’re just trying to protect structures right now.”
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He says he and a handful of community members have been working alongside wildfire crews in keeping properties doused so they don’t ignite.
“But they go home every night to Kamloops so they’re an hour away and then we don’t have anything here all night long,” Smyth explained. “We’re going pretty much 24/7.”
Smyth says he understands that he’s not supposed to be in the area given the current evacuation order, but says he is still prepared to leave if he needs to.
“There’s still a lot of dead, flammable material around my house that’s not covered by the sprinklers. If the wind picks up and the fire picks up again I’d have to leave for my own personal safety,” he said.
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The Bush Creek East wildfire was last measured at over 41,000 hectares as of Sunday. On Friday, numerous evacuation orders were issued for communities around Shuswap Lake as strong winds exacerbated the flames. The fire has been called “one of the most aggressive, extreme fire behaviours” in modern human firefighting history in B.C.
On Monday, B.C Premier David Eby implored said that it is critical that everyone heed warnings and follow evacuation orders, condemning those who were reported to have tampered with firefighter equipment.
With files from Hana Mae Nassar, Pippa Norman, and Kumud Azad
