No arrests made from Highway 1 roadblock near Sorrento
SORRENTO, B.C. — No arrests were made, and no charges are expected after a confrontation at a roadblock on Highway 1 in the Shuswap Wednesday (Aug. 23) evening.
In a news release, RCMP say its Chase detachment were told of a large group of people assembled with food and supplies meant for an area in the North Shuswap under an evacuation order. Police say it appeared their intentions were to overwhelm the roadblock at Highway 1 near Sorrento and enter the area.
“Increased police presence has been in place in response to ongoing efforts by some individuals who have undermined the BC Wildfire Service’s suppression work on the Bush Creek East wildfire in the Shuswap by moving equipment and physically threatening emergency personnel,” reads the release from the RCMP.
Multiple communities within the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, including Highway 1 between Chase and Sorrento, are on evacuation order due to the Bush Creek East wildfire, along with damage to powerlines and unstable trees and structures.