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This is the damage in Scotch Creek, B.C., after wildfire

Residents were told to evacuate their homes amid a fire that ripped through the Shuswap Lake area, reducing some homes and businesses to ash.

3,000 residents told to evacuate as Lower East Adams Lake fire burns through Shuswap region of B.C.

CBC News ·
A middle-aged woman with grey hair cradles a small brown dog inside her black and white plaid shirt as she rides in an aluminum boat on a lake.
Evacuees are pictured while taking a boat to Celista, B.C., on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Ash, a giant heap of rubble and metal scraps are all that remain of Jason Martinson's shop where he makes custom docks near the shores of Shuswap Lake, in Scotch Creek, B.C.

Martinson, the owner of Triton Docks, surveyed the damage on Saturday after northerly winds blew the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire into Scotch Creek, located about 100 kilometres northeast of Kamloops, where he works and lives.

Residents of more than 3,500 properties in B.C.'s Shuswap region had to evacuate on Friday and Saturday as "extreme fire behaviour" entered the area, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) and local emergency officials.

On Saturday, the BCWS confirmed that two fast-moving wildfires burned down blocks of homes, stores and buildings in multiple communities in the Shuswap region.

Among those evacuated were Jordon Byerley, a local firefighter, his daughter Camilla and son Brixton, the children's aunt and their two puppies. The group, along with others, took a boat on Saturday to the town of Celista on the north shore of Shuswap Lake.

CBC News photographer Ben Nelms travelled with them to witness the destruction.

A dock with fake palm trees and boating equipment is seen shrouded by orange wildfire smoke.
A floating dock is pictured surrounded by wildfires in Scotch Creek, B.C., on Saturday. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
A sign showing an extreme wildfire warning stands amidst rubble.
A sign showing an extreme wildfire warning stands amid the rubble of the former Scotch Creek fire department building. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Two men survey a burned down industrial yard against a hazy brown sky, surrounded by ash.
Jason Martinson, who owns Triton Docks, and his friend John visit Martinson's shop and home, which were destroyed by wildfires in Scotch Creek. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Two men wearing hiking boots stand looking at a huge pile of rubble and ash, with a smoky sky in the background.
Northerly winds blew the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire into Scotch Creek, located about 100 kilometres northeast of Kamloops, B.C. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
A destroyed car.
Vehicles were destroyed along with buildings during the wildfire. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
A line of gutted trucks are pictured as debris lies everywhere, with wildfire smoke in the air.
A line of trucks was destroyed due to the blaze. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
A man in a red jumpsuit carries two small brown puppies down onto a dock.
Firefighter Jordon Byerley carries his two puppies while taking a boat to Celista. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
A boy and a girl carrying bags of clothing walk down a dock towards a boat.
Byerley's daughter Camilla and son Brixton board a boat to Celista near Sorrento, B.C. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Burnt buildings are seen along the coast of Little Shuswap lake near Scotch Creek.
Damaged property is pictured along the coast of Little Shuswap Lake near Scotch Creek. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
A white boy and a white girl, both looking solemn, sit in an aluminum power boat beside their middle-aged aunt who was grey hair. The girl and aunt are both holding small dogs.
Camilla, her brother Brixton and their aunt are pictured taking a boat to Celista. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
A man hugs his daughter.
Byerley, along with his daughter and son, brace themselves from the wind. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
A man wearing an orange hardhat hugs a girl covering her mouth, wearing red, while a boy wearing black also covers her mouth.
Byerley watches over his daughter and son on the boat. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
A destroyed building.
The Scotch Creek fire department building was among those destroyed by wildfire. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
A burned out industrial building is surrounded by burned out metal scrap against a hazy brown sky.
B.C. Wildfire Service could not confirm the number of homes or buildings burned down and is still assessing the damage. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
The remnants of a home fire heart are seen standing amid ash and debris after a building burned down.
B.C. Wildfire Service spokesperson Forrest Tower said the fire grew about 20 kilometers in 12 hours, which is among the fastest growth ever recorded in B.C. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
A girl wearing sandles carries a dog on her chest as she walks up from the water. The sky is hazy and orange around her.
Byerley's daughter Camilla carries a puppy as she walks ashore from a boat following a wildfire in B.C.'s Shuswap area. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Cars and trucks line the beach of a lake against a brown hazy sky.
Cars and trucks line the beach of Shuswap Lake between Celista and Scotch Creek to escape a nearby wildfire. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
A burned car sits amongst blacked trees and an ashy sky in Scotch Creek, B.C. following a massive wildfire that has forced hundreds from their homes.
A burned car sits among blackened trees under an ashy sky in Scotch Creek. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Burned structures and debris scattered between charred trees. Two men walk in the distance.
Swaths of Scotch Creek were scorched to the ground, but B.C. Wildfire Service says most of the damage was east in Celista. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Stairs marked 'office' lead to nowhere, as the building has been completely destroyed by a wildfire. Orange smoke lingers in the air.
An office was razed to the ground by the wildfire. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Scenes of destruction as Shuswap region burns in B.C.

1 year ago
Duration 0:43
Hundreds of people have fled their homes, some forever, as flames closed in on the North Shuswap region of B.C.'s Interior, leaving a trail of devastation.

With files from Ben Nelms

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