Shuswap residents brace for wildfire season amid investigation

When the wildfires around the North Shuswap region first started in July 2023, Jim Cooperman wasn't too concerned — they were kilometres away from his Lee Creek home.

But day by day, the fires spread, inching toward the communities along Shuswap Lake, about 60 kilometres northeast of Kamloops, B.C. The hot and dry summer conditions didn't help.

Then came August 17 — the day the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) performed a planned ignition in hopes of stopping forecasted winds from blowing the flames directly into the lakefront communities.

"We find out that the wildfire service is planning to do a backburn, which is a 10-kilometre-long aerial ignition which is just two kilometres from our house —and just prior to a wind storm. We were all totally freaked out," he recalled.

Cooperman has been one of the loudest critics of the B.C. Wildfire Service's planned ignition, which occurred hours before the flames travelled to Lee Creek, Scotch Creek, and Celista, burning through more than 170 homes and structures. Critics believe it exacerbated the wildfire.

"You don't light a fire in a drought before a windstorm, but they decided to do it," he said.

What followed were days of tension and anxiety in the North Shuswap, as many residents stayed behind to fight fires themselves, despite provincial officials telling them to leave.

The BCWS stands by its decision to light the planned ignition, which it says successfully reduced fuels in the area. The ignition is under investigation by B.C.'s Forest Practices Board.

Eight months later — and at the dawn of a new wildfire season — many residents say wounds of that wildfire season are still fresh. For some, trust in the BCWS has been eroded, while others make preparations to once again stay behind in the event of future wildfires.

"The fire has really brought the community together. We call it Shuswap strong," said Cooperman. "The North Shuswap people are resilient."

The province says there will be more collaboration with locals in the event of future wildfire seasons.

The Lower East Adams Lake and Bush Creek East wildfires ignited via lightning strike in mid-July. Their impact on humans was minimal until they started rapidly moving toward communities along the North Shuswap about a month later, according to the BCWS.

On August 17, the BCWS made the decision to light a planned ignition, or backburn, "out of necessity."

"The wildfire had broken through existing fire guards and the region was about to experience some of the most unfavourable weather conditions of the season," wrote service spokesperson Forrest Tower in a statement.