Community's resilience celebrated 1 year after B.C. wildfire

When Skwlāx te Secwépemcúl̓ecw First Nation Chief Kúkpi7 James Tomma and his family fled their home after the Bush Creek wildfire, they left everything behind. 

Tomma remembers his brothers being trapped underneath a bridge and the hardships experienced by other band members who lost their homes and had to uproot their lives.

He says he never thought his own community would be impacted by wildfire. 

What followed, Tomma says, was the beginning of rebuilding everything they had lost.

"It's been emotional for me … I'll remember for the rest of my life," Tomma said. "Before, it always happened to somebody else and not you, but [that's] when the reality hit." 

It's been one year since the Bush Creek East wildfire swept through B.C.'s Shuswap region. 

Lasting nearly two months, from mid-July to the end of September 2023, it surrounded Shuswap communities like Scotch Creek, Celista and Sorrento, causing devastation and forcing residents to flee their homes.

Over 130 properties were destroyed, another 37 partially damaged, and about 3,500 were placed under evacuation orders. 

The wildfire caused over $720 million in insured damage, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. 

One year later, the Skwlāx te Secwépemcúl̓ecw First Nation is holding an event Sunday in Chase, B.C., to commemorate the resilience of the people affected by the fire. 

The celebration will feature speeches, singing and a community walk-along with food for people to enjoy. 

Tomma said the commemoration will celebrate that people are still there, rebuilding the area. 

The First Nation is completing three subdivisions to replace the homes that were lost, he said. About 70 per cent of the Skwlāx te Secwépemcúl̓ecw First Nation is returning and Tomma expects to go back in December when the last subdivision is complete.

Sean Coubrough, the regional fire chief of the Columbia-Shuswap Regional Distrct (CRSD) was at work when the fire broke out and remembers it well. 

Coubrough says the B.C. Wildfire Service was hearing reports from local fire chiefs about the winds picking up and the fire beginning to enter the North Shuswap communities. He says the CRSD became concerned and put together a team of six fire trucks to respond. 

The CRSD tried to cross the Squilax Bridge but couldn't due to the blaze and focused on saving the buildings nearby, Coubrough said. The Shuswap and Scotch Creek-Lee Creek fire departments were protecting the bridge and buildings on the other side.

"Communities come together when these events happen," Coubrough said. 

Shuswap summer resident Terri Burris was one of the few who stayed in the area after the wildfire broke out. 

Burris was at her cabin eating dinner when she saw the fire and smoke. She says she started to panic. 

"To look up and see this glow [and] line of fire … it was unsettling, disturbing."

However, she says Shuswap has always felt like home and she wanted to stay and help.

Burris's cabin wasn't under an evacuation order, but she went to check her friends' cabins nearby to see if they were intact. She says she and her husband got on her boat, went out on the lake and soon saw thick clouds of smoke. 

"The smoke was so dense … you couldn't see a single thing," Burris said, adding that she used a GPS to navigate to the cabins. 

When she got there, she says she took videos and uploaded them to Facebook so her friends could see them and also as evidence for insurance. 

Some cabins were safe. Others had burned down.

"There were many, many places burned to the ground and really sad. So I did the videos so people could see one way or the other.

"It was very unsettling to see your piece of paradise turn into something you don't recognize," Burris said. 

Despite the wildfire situation, the Skwlāx te Secwépemcúl̓ecw First Nation is maintaining a positive outlook.

"Everybody is looking forward to 'What does tomorrow bring? They have a positive attitude in which I'm really pleased. We want to go forward. It only makes us stronger," Tomma said. 

Everyone is welcome to attend the event, Tomma said. The commemoration will take place at the Quaaout Lodge and Spa at Talking Rock Golf Resort from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. PT.