(Image Credit: CFJC News)

By Sydney Chisholm

Bush creek east FIRE

North Shuswap residents pack community hall, talk next steps after wildfire disaster

Nov 24, 2023 | 5:30 PM

CELISTA, B.C. – The North Shuswap Community Hall was packed with residents Thursday (Nov. 23) night for a community meeting billed Shuswap Firestorm, ‘The Last Straw.’

Hundreds of North Shuswap residents filed into the community hall in Celista, many gathering for the first time since this summer’s devastating wildfires.

Jim Cooperman, a local author and environmentalist, presented information he gathered surrounding the Bush Creek East wildfire that destroyed 176 structures throughout Scotch Creek, Lee Creek and Celista, on August 18.

“I came mostly just to see what the feel of the rest of the community is like. We’re just trying to gauge the scenario – the situation,” Celista resident Danny Payment told CFJC News. “We haven’t seen everyone since the fire, and we didn’t really know. You know, is everyone still pretty pissed off about what’s taking place? I wanted to get a sense of where my community is at.”

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On August 17, the BC Wildfire Service ignited a 10-kilometre back burn above Scotch Creek and Lee Creek. While the service has called it a success, many residents in the community blame the ignition for the devastation that followed the next day.

“Everyone pretty much understands what took place. I mean most of the people here were here for the whole entire fire,” Payment continued. “The majority of people that you see here today were men that were on the ground fighting fire, and I think everyone had a very good understanding of how it moved, what happened.”

The residents are now looking at next steps for their community.

“People have settled down and now we’re focusing on the healing part of it, which is really good,” Brenda Jackson, another Celista resident, explained.

Cooperman says he will be bringing six complaints to various branches of government as well as requesting documents from the BC Wildfire Service under the Freedom of Information Act.

“I feel like I’m validated. I feel that I’m now representing the community with 1,600 plus signatures on the petition site and then we’ve got a few hundred more tonight,” Cooperman said. “It’s obvious that most people in this North Shuswap community were on the same wavelength when it comes to the B.C. Wildfire Service and the government and the mess they’re making of fighting wildfires.”