Shuswap residents forced to evacuate by boat as wildfire orders in region expand | CBC News

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Two fast-moving British Columbia wildfires have burned down homes and structures in multiple communities in the Shuswap region, the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) confirmed Saturday.

Residents of more than 3,500 properties in the area had to evacuate on Friday and Saturday as “extreme fire behaviour” is expected to prompt more evacuation orders in the coming days, according to BCWS and local emergency officials.

“We’re still going to have a very active and dynamic day and there’s going to be challenges and dangers for our people,” said Shuswap Emergency Operations Centre risk management officer John MacLean.

Northerly winds blew the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire into Scotch Creek and as far east as Celista on the north shore of Shuswap Lake overnight, BCWS spokesperson Forrest Tower said Saturday.

The fire had not yet entered Lee Creek as of 11 a.m. PT.

Also overnight, the Bush Creek East fire, burning west of Adams Lake, burned into the Skwlax te Secwepemculecw community of Squilax and across Highway 1 between Chase and Sorrento, and began to climb Squilax Mountain on the lake’s south shore.

The two fires have essentially merged and cut off access to Highway 1, which remains closed, according to the BCWS and Drive B.C..

BCWS could not confirm the number of homes or buildings burned down overnight and said it was still assessing the damage in Celista. Most of the residences in that community are recreational and vacation homes.

“This fire made a run yesterday in under 12 hours of over 20 kilometres,” said BCWS spokesperson Cliff Chapman.

“There have been impacts to structures in the area of North Shuswap as well as other areas of this fire.”

CBC has reached out to the Skwlax te Secwepemculecw for comment.

WATCH | Wildfire burns near highway as resident evacuates near Scotch Creek:

Glowing ground, burning trees seen on way out of North Shuswap, B.C.

Video submitted by Phyllis Sivecki shows the up-close effects of one of the 380 wildfires burning across British Columbia.

On Friday, the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire prompted several evacuation orders in the Shuswap Lake area in what officials say is an “unparalleled crisis” and the “most devastating” day for fires in the region’s history.

The Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) and First Nations in the area issued evacuation orders for the Scotch Creek, Lee Creek, Celista, Magna Bay and Little River areas on the north shore of Shuswap Lake on Friday night.

Those orders expanded to include parts of Sorrento and Skimikin Lake areas on the lake’s south shore Saturday afternoon.

MacLean said 5,700 residents in the region were under an evacuation order as of Friday night, and that’s expected to grow to 7,000 by the end of Saturday.

The CSRD is asking those evacuated to go to the evacuation centre at the Salmon Arm Senior Citizen Centre at 170 5th Ave. SE, or call 250-833-3350 for more information.

The reception centre for the Thompson Nicola Regional District is at the McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre, 1655 Island Pkwy. in Kamloops, which is accessible via Chase Creek Road.

All evacuees are also asked to register with the provincial portal.

Harrowing evacuations

The Scotch Creek and Talana Bay bridges, parts of the main access route to Highway 1, were closed, and Scotch Creek residents were told to evacuate by boat Friday night.

“People could not come out to to the Trans-Canada Highway to get either to Salmon Arm or to Kamloops,” said MacLean. 

He said some people managed to get out thanks to help from a marine search-and-rescue group and “very dedicated and good-hearted volunteers.”

The fire forced 135 properties to evacuate in Turtle Valley while residents of Chase and Sorrento were placed on evacuation alert by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.

“It was extremely challenging conditions to get people out,” said Chapman on Saturday.

Kelly Featherstone-Schram said the mountainside looked like a “wall of fire” as she tried to drive east through Scotch Creek to get to her home in Anglemont on Friday night.

She turned around instead, driving back across the Scott Creek Bridge to take Highway 1 to stay with a friend in Salmon Arm.

“The entire mountainside adjacent to it was engulfed in flames and as I crossed over the bridge they were spraying the bridge with water,” said Featherstone-Schram.

“And I knew at that point that as I was leaving, they were not even going to let me go back in.”

Her husband is a firefighter battling the blaze in Celista, but the couple’s German Shepherd and cat are still at their home in Anglemont until he has time to get them.

“I left with pictures and important papers … but I left the the dog and cat thinking that I would be returning that night and so my husband is having to fight the fire and our pets are in the house,” she said, emotion rising in her voice.

“It’s a really vulnerable feeling when you’re separated from your family …I have no way of making sure [my husband] is OK, right?”

Boil water advisory

On Saturday morning, the CSRD and Interior Health issued a precautionary boil water advisory for residents from Sorrento east to the MacArthur Heights area near Blind Bay, due to concerns adequate water treatment is not being met.

Affected residents are advised to boil any water used for drinking, teeth-brushing or food preparation rapidly for at least one minute, add two drops of household bleach per litre of water, or use bottled water.

A little further south, the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival cancelled the remainder of the event on Saturday morning, citing concern for the safety of attendees, volunteers and the community as a whole.

Wildfires in B.C. have put an estimated 30,000 people out of their homes and more than 36,000 on evacuation alert, Premier David Eby said Saturday.

The province declared a state of emergency Friday night over the fires. On Saturday, it issued an emergency order to  restrict non-essential travel for the purpose of staying in temporary accommodation such as a hotel, motel or campground.