Six ’90s-era GMCs surround a large trailer in a Salmon Arm, B.C., parking lot. Cory Tomlin said it took two trips from his home near the Shuswap to get his beloved collection of pick-ups out of the fire zone, but they aren’t the only treasures with which he evacuated.“Our cat had four kittens when we were packing up, here in the trailer,” said Tomlin.And they aren’t the only new additions to his family. Two days into the evacuation his dog gave birth inside the trailer, in the parking lot in Salmon Arm.“Eleven puppies,” said Tomlin, holding up a little black, squeaking pup no bigger than his palm.“We’ve had very little sleep, eating a lot of fast food. It’s been stressful, we just want to go home,” he said, a smoked-out orange sun setting behind his urban camping spot for yet another night.Thousands of evacuees remain out of their Shuswap area homes as the Bush Creek East fire continues to burn out of control. The province of British Columbia said Friday the fire is a top priority. The Trans-Canada Highway between Sorrento and Case reopened on Friday, easing the burden on truck drivers.
The communities of Anglemont and St. Ives are not under evacuation order, but have been cut off for a week now due to road closures. No power and limited food sources are testing nerves in the now-isolated communities.“You know it was very tense. Really, really tense. I had to have a town hall meeting because things were going this way and that way,” said Nena Jocic-Anrejevic, emergency coordinator for St. Ives.But there is a collaborative effort to pull together through the uncertainty. Food from thawing freezers has been brought to the community hall, the beating heart at the centre of this now powerless town. Volunteers are feeding firefighters and anyone who is hungry.It is a great relief to so many here, who have essentially been camping in their homes, desperate for a hot shower.“I’ve had Mr. Noodles just about every night this week,” said Jen George. “But at least they are the good kind, the spicy ones.”Items like fresh produce and fuel are becoming scarce. Attempts to get rations in have been hampered by road closures and low water levels. But on Friday, spirits soared when a huge barge loaded down with goods appeared, cutting across the water through the dense smoke destined for St. Ives and Anglemont.“We very are excited because there are people that are running out of food. We are relieved it is finally getting through,” said a beaming Jocic-Anrejevic.It’s a glimmer of hope for a community still surviving amidst all the chaos and destruction surrounding it, acutely aware of just how fortunate they’ve been so far.“I don’t have words to describe it. There’s so much devastation happening right now,” said Jen George.“We’ve been pretty lucky here,” she said, the crack in her voice giving away the weight of the ordeal.