A look at climate change policies and past wildfire events reveals how catastrophic losses of entire communities occurred at the hands of authorities. A wealth of media reports, transcripts, eye witness accounts and public documents weighs heavily on the complexity of present day fire fighting politics.
2023 Lower East Adams Lake (previously K21620) and the Bush Creek East (K21633) Wildfires
The Adams lake fires started both on the same day. The first, Bush Creek East, started on a ridge near Bush Creek between Adams Lake and Sun Peaks to the west. The second, called Lower Adams Lake East, started on the steep eastern shores of Adams Lake.
Both fires were assessed to by caused by lightning, the result of a series of thunderstorms that passed over the area on July 11 and 12. They could have been easily put out in their infancy. Instead they got no priority as when they started zero structures were in the vicinity. The massive Bush Creek East wildfire burning in B.C.’s Shuswap has destroyed or damaged at least 168 structures.
UPDATE: Aug. 17 @ 3:20 pm – Large-scale planned burn could happen on Adams Lake fire
In anticipation of an upcoming wind event that could hit the North Shuswap, the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) could carry out a large-scale planned ignition on the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire. According to fire information officer Forrest Tower, the planned ignition will remove unburnt fuel between the wildfire’s perimeter and communities to the south, including Scotch Creek and Lee Creek. “If it is a viable option, it is one that is safe and effective and with the favorable winds, it can reduce further wildfire threat to these communities.”
How a BC Plan to Fight Fire with Fire went Awry
In mid-August, with huge swaths of British Columbia consumed by wildfire, firefighting crews in the province’s North Shuswap region made a hard decision: They would intentionally burn a 26-square-kilometre stretch of forest hours before a major wind event, hoping to slow down the raging Lower East Adams Lake wildfire long enough to limit destruction in residential areas.
Officials are now defending that move, as residents of the nearby towns of Lee Creek, Scotch Creek and Celista question whether the planned ignition exacerbated the damage in their communities, rather than lessening it. In the days after the fire, a public workers’ union demanded an investigation, arguing that firefighters’ safety had been compromised. Video and internal wildfire service incident reports obtained by The Globe and Mail show for the first time how elements of the operation went wrong on the ground, leaving a fire crew trapped for hours by flames. (Globe and Mail)
Aug 22, 2023 – Planned Ignition Not to Blame for 2 Wildfires Merging in B.C.’s Shuswap, Officials Say
The B.C. Wildfire Service is trying to dispel rumours that its activities in the Shuswap region caused two aggressive fires to merge last week, saying that a planned ignition actually saved hundreds of homes from the blazes. On Thursday afternoon, wildfire crews ignited land that sits between a stretch of power lines north of Shuswap Lake and the main body of the approaching Lower East Adams Lake wildfire.
The purpose was to burn off potential fuels and protect communities below the power line, according to the wildfire service’s director of operations, Cliff Chapman. “It was largely successful,” Chapman told reporters on Monday. “I want to be perfectly clear: That planned ignition saved hundreds of homes and properties along the north Shuswap.”
Some community members have alleged that the planned ignition by the wildfire service is responsible for bringing together the two fires, which have caused extensive damage. University of British Columbia fire ecologist Kira Hoffman said planned ignitions are done under extreme conditions when it’s very dry, and there’s a lot of fuel on the ground. “You are going to have some … spot fires. As a part of that, you need to weigh the risks of not engaging in planned ignitions versus engaging in it,” Hoffman said.
CBC NEWS ARTICLE
Aug 22, 2023 – ‘We’ve been abandoned’: Why anger in the Shuswap is growing over B.C.’s wildfire fighting strategy
Across the Shuswap, as small communities enter their fifth day contending with a massive wildfire that has destroyed blocks of homes, one sentiment comes up repeatedly. “We feel like we’ve been abandoned,” said Tracy Wojciechowski, publisher of the community newsletter North Shuswap Kicker. “People are exhausted, people are emotional, people aren’t getting sleep, and people are frustrated with what appears to have been a lack of communication.” In interview after interview with CBC News, residents from Scotch Creek, Lee Creek and Celista have voiced frustration over how the Bush Creek East Fire, now measured at more than 400 square kilometers, has been handled. “The whole community of the north Shuswap is very upset because the whole region is crawling with police, “said Jim Cooperman, a writer and longtime North Shuswap resident who evacuated to Kamloops.
VIDEOS
BC wildfires: Adams Lake fire takes unpredictable turn, residents say they tried to warn officials
Wildfires are still wreaking havoc across B.C. with a new evacuation order issued Wednesday night for a fire that’s been burning for weeks but has now taken a turn for the worst. The Lower East Adams Lake fire has grown to more than 2,500 hectares, and the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District issued an evacuation order for 92 properties on Rawson Road, along Adams Lake, north of Chase. Global’s Aaron McArthur reports.
August 17, 2023 – Wildfire Update – K21620
In anticipation of an upcoming wind event that could hit the North Shuswap, the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) could carry out a large-scale planned ignition on the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire. At 3 pm, the BC Wildfire Service said the planned burn would begin in the next hour. “The aerial ignition will produce a significant column of smoke that will be visible from communities along the Shuswap Arm of Shuswap Lake and potentially beyond,” the BCWS says in a Twitter post. “The approaching cold front is expected to cause a 180-degree wind shift, causing strong winds from the north to cause growth and ember-cast towards the south.” This planned burn is expected to help with the protection of those communities before wind gusts reaching 40-50 km/h settle into the Shuswap region, which are forecasted to arrive around 5 pm.
Aug 22, 2023 – B.C. residents who defied evacuation orders at odds with fire crews
There’s growing frustration in B.C.’s Shuswap region between those who stayed to protect their homes and the fire crews who say it’s unsafe. There’s also frustration from those who say they aren’t getting any support from the province.
Aug 24, 2023 – Tensions rise in Shuswap | Latest update on British Columbia wildfire fight
Fallout from the devastating wildfires that ripped through the Shuswap region. Locals continue to heads with authorities after police ramped up enforcement to keep people out of evacuation zones. Mary Cranston, CTV News.
BC wildfires: Shuswap residents “feel like criminals” over tensions with authorities
Tempers are flaring in British Columbia’s Shuswap region, where evacuees say they can’t properly help others because of authorities enforcing rules. Meanwhile, officials are urging people to remain patient, with the weather in the area expected to heat up in the coming days, and the Bush Creek East wildfire looming. Jayme Doll reports on the underlying tensions and frustrations of residents desperate to return home.
The White Rock Lake fire was a wildfire in Thompson-Nicola Regional District, British Columbia. It began July 13, 2021 as one of the 2021 B.C. wildfires and resulted in the destruction of Monte Lake. The Okanagan’s worst fire of 2021, White Rock Lake menaced a large chunk of B.C.’s Southern Interior for weeks, triggered multiple waves of evacuations, destroyed dozens of homes and caused millions in property damage. (Wikipedia)
On the eve of a new wildfire season, the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) has provided an update on the province’s efforts to determine the causes of some of last summer’s major Okanagan blazes. However, many unanswered questions remain about the harrowing 2021 fire season. The service said the White Rock Lake fire has officially been deemed lightning-caused. However, the wildfire service says it doesn’t have a detailed cause report as formal origin, and cause investigations are only completed for some human-caused wildfires.
Criticism of Response
“It sounds like they are just tossing that off pretty quickly that it was caused by lightning so I wonder if there should have been perhaps a bit more investigation into that,” said Ken Gillis, Thompson-Nicola Regional District board chair. Gillis represents areas like Monte Lake and Paxton Valley which were hard hit by the fire, he wants to see a review of the response to the fire. “Seems to me that it would have warranted a very, very thorough investigation considering that the fire ran so long and so far after it was initially discovered. We hear all kinds of anecdotal evidence about what happened following the discovery of the fire and what actions BC Wildfire did or did not take, and it leaves us very, very concerned,” Gillis said. Since last summer, the wildfire service has defended its response to the blaze saying the first initial attack crew arrived within 30 minutes and the fire was already burning aggressively. (Global News)
Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone called for a public inquiry into the provincial response, charging policy “is what causes these fires to get out of control”. Kamloops This Week reported residents at the outset of the fire “claim they felt abandoned or say they were told to leave when trying to help”.
Residents who refused to leave a B.C. wildfire evacuation area are firing back at provincial officials, who they say haven’t done enough to protect their properties. The massive White Rock Lake fire, burning between Kamloops and Okanagan Lake, has destroyed multiple buildings, and forced a series of evacuation orders and alerts in the last 72 hours. On Friday, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth chastised residents who wouldn’t leave the area, saying they put first responders at risk.
“When it gets too hot and I’ve got to go, I’ll go,” resident Dan Speller told Global News from the side of Highway 97 on Friday night, with flames burning on the embankment behind him. “But no politician or bureaucrat is going to tell me to go. And I don’t appreciate being called a fool or stupid because I stay and save my house and my livestock.”
Speller is one of a number of area residents critical of the province’s response. He and his neighbours allege the BC Wildfire Service was too slow to attack the fire when it first broke out, allowing it to grow to a size where it could no longer be controlled. Speller and his neighbours, along with an out-of-province wildfire crew, spent the night working to prevent the flames from crossing the highway. “We’re doing it all on our own, except for a crew of Alberta firefighters (who) are the only ones helping. We’re hauling the water, my kids are hauling the fire hose,” he said.
The BC Wildfire Service insists it responded seriously to the fire from the start. “Upon detection of the wildfire, we had crews on, helicopters on,” fire information officer Forrest Tower said, adding the fire was about 100 hectares in size at detection. The 55,000-hectare White Rock Lake fire was first discovered on July 13. A wildfire service update two days later listed the White Rock Lake fire as 2,500 hectares in size, with four firefighters, four helicopters and nine pieces of heavy equipment on site.
By July 26, when the fire had grown to 12,500 hectares in size, the province’s response had increased significantly, with 139 firefighters, six helicopters and 35 pieces of heavy equipment. The fire continued to grow until on Thursday, driven by strong winds, it breached Highway 97 and tore through the Monte Lake area.
Speller is convinced that if the fire had been tackled aggressively in the first days, his neighbours’ homes would still be standing. “They have to hit these fires at the beginning. They let them get big. There’s no controlling them when they get big. When they’re a little fire, you’ve got to hit them hard,” he said. (Global News)
VIDEOS
Aggressive wildfire at B.C.’s White Rock Lake jumps highway, burns homes
An increasingly aggressive wildfire burning between Kamloops and Vernon, B.C., has breached a major highway, and residents from the area say they’ve seen their homes burning.
BC’s White Rock Lake wildfire damages over 70 properties as massive blaze sweeps through communities
The White Rock Lake wildfire has damaged an estimated 70 properties to date, according to local officials, causing devastation as it moved to areas around Okanagan Lake. On Tuesday afternoon, Central Okanagan Emergency Operations (CORE) issued an update on the out-of-control blaze that’s now estimated at 78,190 hectares – up from the 62,000 hectares reported on Monday. Residents of Killiney Beach in the Interior were forced to leave their homes as the White Rock Lake fire near Vernon crept closer. Homes along the beach could not be saved, as the aggressive and massive blaze swept through. Meanwhile, evacuation orders and alerts for the wildfire remain unchanged. CORE says residents will not be able to access their property until it is deemed safe to do so. Globa’s Emad Agahi reports.
The aftermath of the White Rock Lake wildfire on Westside Road
Central Okanagan Emergency Operations (CORD) has confirmed that 78 properties were directly impacted by the White Rock Lake wildfire.
A Valley Destroyed Part 1 The Story of Monte Lake and Paxton Valley
A Valley Destroyed Part 2 Truth In The Flames
2021 Lytton Wildfire
A wildfire sparked by a CN train began on June 30, 2021 just south of the village of Lytton in the interior of British Columbia, Canada. The fire destroyed much of Lytton and caused two civilian fatalities. The fire, one of the 2021 British Columbia wildfires throughout the province, was facilitated by a Western North America heat wave.
VIDEOS
The Guardian Documentary Video
Burned to the Ground: the Canadian village incinerated by record temperatures
“Lytton has been forgotten”: BC town battles to rebuild 2 years after wildfire disaster
In 2021, the small town of Lytton, B.C. was wiped out by one of the worst wildfire disasters in Canadian history. Two years later, not a single structure has been rebuilt and the few residents still living in Lytton are struggling to find closure. Neetu Garcha returns to the village to speak with community members about their frustrations and provides an update on the investigation into what caused the tragedy.
2016 Fort McMurray Wildfire
On May 1, 2016, a wildfire began southwest of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. On May 3, it swept through the community, forcing the largest wildfire evacuation in Alberta’s history, with upwards of 88,000 people forced from their homes. Firefighters were assisted by personnel from both the Canadian Armed Forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as other Canadian provincial agencies, to fight the wildfire. (Wikipedia)
Why some homes survived: Learning from the Fort McMurray wildland/urban interface fire disaster (PDF)
by Alan Westhaver, M.Sc., Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction Canada
VIDEO
Fort McMurray wildfire: A timeline of a disaster
The devastating wildfire in Fort McMurray caused a wake of evacuations and chaos as tens of thousands of residents fled the flames. See how the disaster unfolded over the course of the week.
1998 Silver Creek Forest Fire Review (PDF)
On October 14, 1998, the Acting Ombudsman of the Province of BC issued a news release advising that his Office had initiated an investigation into the provincial government response to forest fires in the interior of British Columbia and around Salmon Arm. Because of the devastating nature of the fire and the loss and damage suffered by local residents, many questioned whether the MOF (Ministry of Forests) could have controlled the fire more effectively. The overwhelming theme of those interviewed was that the fire should have been extinguished before it reached the Silver Creek community.
1998 Fly Hills, Mt. Ida – Silver Creek Forest Fire (PDF)
During an extreme hot summer in 1998, a lightning strike near Wallenstein Lake in the Fly Hills (Shuswap Highlands) ignited a forest fire on July 29th. Following next day, a Colton Martin Mars air tanker arrived from Sproat Lake on Vancouver Island and started to action the fire. A dramatic aircraft fuel shortage at Salmon Arm airport grounded the plane shortly after its arrival in the Shuswap. Concerns by Fly Hill residents if the fire would threaten their homes at valley bottom were brushed off as “…unheard of..” by then BCWFS fire boss Roy Benson.
Then on August 5th at 13:00 fire crews received an extreme weather behaviour warning. The air and land assaults shifted focus. It became imperative to preserve lives and structures in the interface area. Bulldozers built guards near Salmon Valley homes and barns but the fire spread down into the valley at a rate of 90 km an hour and ignited structures and vegetation in its path. It was heading towards Salmon Arm, a community of 15,000 people. A coordinated community plan was needed to successfully fight this urban interface fire. K30285 threatened a whole community. When Premier Glen Clark declared a state of emergency, 7,000 people were forced from their homes in the largest civil evacuation in B.C.’s history.
.