At least 31 homes have been lost in a First Nations community in B.C.’s North Shuswap, but everyone survived the devastating fire that tore through the area one week ago, the local chief said in an emotional update Friday.
The Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw is one of numerous communities reeling from devastation wrought by the Bush Creek East fire when it merged with the Lower East Adams Lake fire last Friday amid powerful winds on the heels of a heat wave.
Ku̓kpi7 (Chief) James Tomma said he toured the community, which sits at the intersection of the Shuswap and Little Shuswap lakes, over the weekend.
Tomma said he had the difficult job of informing community members about the losses at a meeting on Wednesday, adding his own home was also destroyed in the fire.
“Going down and seeing the people waiting and waiting, and then when they get the news, there was no nice way to do that, there wasn’t, and it was heartbreaking for me,” he said.
“Our band now understands what we lost. But what we have left: some of our major infrastructure is still there, we still have our band office, se still have our fire hall, some of the community living buildings are still there, townhouses, our wellness centre is still there.”
Tomma said there had also initially been fear that one person may have been lost to the fire, as no one had been able to contact them.
“Monday morning we got word they were located, they just didn’t answer their cellphone, but everyone cheered,” he said.
“Yeah, we lost houses but the important thing — that house doesn’t become a home unless there is family there, and everyone from the community got out safely.”
Fire moved with terrifying speed
The fire that devastated the community ripped through the area with terrifying speed Friday afternoon, Skwlāx members say.
Tomma said he first recieved word there could be an evacuation alert around noon, and began pulling out firefighting gear. Within hours an alert had been issued, then upgraded to an order.
Many in the community, including Tomma, decided to stay and try and fight the fire. He said he and his brothers meant to make their stand at his late mother’s house.
“My brother put it so eloquently at the time: the fire people wanted to dance, they weren’t going to be denied that day. We could hear them dancing — and then the wind people joined in, and they took what they needed at the main house, our main house,” he said, adding that he was able to send his wife and cat to safety before things escalated.
“We didn’t even have time to get to our vehicles, we had to run to the river … we just got down there and the fire was there, it had already arrived, almost immediately it leapt the river and started burning the other side, and we were stuck down on the river bank and it looked bleak … this might be it, we came to peace with that,” he added.
Tomma said he and his brothers ended up trapped under the Skwlāx bridge, amid what he described as a “war zone,” with the sound of explosions around him as the fire consumed homes and buildings as embers rained down around them.
He credits two “very brave boys” from the Adams Lake band with saving them, after they insisted on rescuing them by boat despite warnings of the danger.
Ku̓kpi7 Tomma’s brother, Rocky Tomma, said he started the day watching water bombers flying in to try and halt the fire’s spread as he tried to hose down brush around their property.
“Even they couldn’t stop what was going to happen that day,” he said.
“In the beginning I had visions of holding that fire back, keeping our house still standing … By the time I went to turn my pump off it was already over the river and up the mountain, that’s how powerful.”
Band member Leo Tomma said he had about an hour’s warning that he would need to evacuate, but ended up having to flee on a moment’s notice because he didn’t believe the fire would move so quickly into the community.
“It went so fast. Then the wind changed, it came so fast we had to get out of there right now … my son came down and said the mountain started to burn, so get out of here,” he said.
“Just watching my house burn, that was bad enough. And I didn’t even know how, I thought I was safe, because the field was empty. I imagine the flames maybe jumped and got onto the house.”
Community vows to rebuild
Despite the devastation to the community of about 350, Kukpi7 Tomma said the Skwlāx will rebuild — though the task will be daunting.
“We know my people have gone through a lot and we’re still here, and we’ll still be here,” he said.
“What we took for granted in our community and band land is different now. It’s going to be shocking to them, but yeah we are still here and that’s the beautiful part.”
He thanked British Columbians for their outpouring of support, but said the nation — and its surrounding outlying communities — will need help from all levels of government.
Tomma further pledged to ensure every displaced member of his nation has a roof over their own head before starting to rebuild his own home.
He went on to thank the wildfire fighters that put their lives on the line to try and protect his community, adding there was “no failure” on their part, even though they couldn’t stop the flames’ advance.