Residents of B.C.'s Shuswap region tour 'dramatically' changed area after wildfire destruction

Wednesday was an emotional day for some residents of the wildfire-devastated Shuswapregion in British Columbiaas theytoured their communities for the first time since they were forced to flee.

CBC reporters who were able to go on the guided bus tour hours after hundreds of residents went,in the area northeast of Kamloops saw dozens of vehicles with melted hubcapsand many homes reduced to ash.

The Columbia Shuswap Regional District saidin a statement that "some areas of the community have changed dramatically"after theBush Creek East wildfireswept through, destroying or damaging more than 226homes.

"Our community has faced one of the most challenging summers on record and has suffered through losses few could imagine," said Tracy Hughes with the district. "We are now aiming toward a return home."

After weeks of evacuation orders and alerts because of thewildfire, the district has outlined a plan for a staged re-entryprocess starting Wednesday.

The district says it'sconducting the tour to give a clearpicture of the damage and hazards in the area to help residentsprepare for their return.

WATCH | Residents see damage up close in B.C. Interior on Wednesday:

Residents of Scotch Creek, B.C., return to wildfire-ravaged community

1 year ago

Duration 0:56

Some residents of Scotch Creek, B.C., returned for a supervised tour of the area after the wildfire that forced them out of their community destroyed several homes.

Kris Jensen, who built his home in Scotch Creek 17 years ago, was among the residents who got to see their homes on Wednesday.

While his home survived the blaze, others weren't so lucky.

"When the fire was raging and we were getting communications ... we really thought our house was going to be burned down and that was the toughest night," he said. "But it wasn't."

Jensen says the north Shuswap community, which includes some whostayed behind to protect their homes,would rebound from the devastation.

"I am sure the vast majority of homes and businesses will get rebuilt and maybe more, bigger, better," he said. "I don't think there's any doubt about that."

According to a news briefing from Sunday, 27 kilometres of power lines and 430 power poles have been destroyed in the blaze.

Sean Coubrough, deputy fire chief for the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District, was there the night that Scotch Creek's fire hall burned down in late August.

"The fire was some of the most intense fire behaviour I've ever seen," he said Wednesday. "The fire was moving so quickly, there was very little anyone could do."

Evacuation orders in the Celista, Magna Bay, Lee and Scotch Creek areas were all downgraded to evacuation alerts Wednesday. TheSkwlx te Secwepemcecwalso partially downgraded some orders for the Chum Creek and Indian Reserve #1.

Derek Sutherland, director of the regional emergency operations centre, told reporters Wednesday that the aim was to get residents back as soon as possible,but burnedtrees and damaged power lines still posed a threat.

"Getting them back in is really important to rebuilding the area and getting back to some sense of normalcy," he said of the tour. "For people to start embracing their new normal."

Meanwhile, the neighbouring Thompson-Nicola Regional District is dueto lift evacuation orders for 75 properties in the lower west Adams Lake area Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Nineproperties were destroyed and twodamaged by the Bush Creek East fire in the Adams Lake area.

The fire, estimated at 430 square kilometres in size, has not seen any growth since Aug. 31 according to the B.C. Wildfire Service. The fire, started by lightning, is still classified as out of control.

"Certainly, this kind of event is going to be very difficult for people to overcome," Coubrough said."It's going to take a long time to deal with the emotions that are going to be associated with this ... this place being irreparably changed."