Evacuated B.C. resort owner describes collaborative effort with police, fire crews
Posted August 25, 2023 7:38 am.
Last Updated August 25, 2023 8:25 am.
The remaining travel restrictions in the Okanagan were lifted midnight Thursday and more evacuation orders have been rescinded, but wildfires continue to rage in other parts of B.C.’s southern Interior.
That includes the Fraser Canyon, where the owner of an evacuated resort has chosen to defy emergency orders and stay with his property.
However, Shayne Findlay describes a much more collaborative situation than has been seen in the Shuswap fire zone, where tensions have been seen between some locals, a so-called freedom convoy, the RCMP, and the BC Wildfire Service.
As the Kookipi Creek fire bore down on Blue Lake Resort last Thursday, Findlay says there was a scramble to get campers to safety in Boston Bar, and then he and his family also followed instructions to leave their property behind.
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“We did leave the resort initially after all the customers had left,” said Findlay. “It wasn’t until the next day, when things had stabilized that we made the decision to come back up and remain here.”
Findlay felt there was a need to protect his family’s business, as well as all the property left behind by his customers.
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“There’s the concern of fire — and we have water trucks we’re using to spray areas — but there have been at least two, that we know of, attempts to gain access to the resort since we’ve been here. We’ve talked to the RCMP and they understand completely being up here. They know the reality,” he told CityNews.
Findlay says there are hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of RVs and equipment left at the resort, which is a short drive off of the Trans Canada Highway.
“We remain ready to go if needed, but I have to say, speaking with the firefighters up here, they have been very cooperative and very informative. They’ve told me it’s dangerous, but no one has said get out, though officially they have, of course.
“They understand why we are here and I think they’ve approached it with a collaborative nature. It’s tough for everyone and they know that.”
As conditions improve daily, Findlay describes nearly constant contact with nearby fire crews as he continually assesses risks to the resort and keeps track of fire lines.
“I can’t say enough about what they’ve done in working with us and helping us to know what the situation is with nightly patrols, check-ins, and sprinkler teams. They are very communicative,” he said.
“I know there’s a group of them up there today so I’m hoping to pack a cooler full of ice cream treats from our store here and run it up to them later.”
As Findlay tries to shepherd the resort through the danger — posting near-daily video updates on social media — he has been surprised by the generosity of customers dealing with the evacuation or cancelled trips.
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“I’ve had a lot of people take us up on an offer to defer refunds until next year, or rather to use a credit going forward — way more than I thought. I think that’s fantastic. It just kicks the can down the road, of course, but it does prevent a squeeze in terms of finances.”
Others have told Findlay to keep their money to help with any recovery.
“To them, I say ‘Here’s your money back, donate it to a food bank.’ It’s bad, don’t get me wrong — this is how I feed my kids and I count on this throughout the winter, so it matters — but I want to keep in mind there are levels to this crisis.”
Findlay says it’s not lost on him that the nearby REO Rafting Resort was completely destroyed by fire and that others in the area have lost homes.
“Whenever someone reaches out with generosity to us, I usually say go give to the Hope Food Bank or their local food bank and try to spread that out as much as we can.”
