Emergency officials are preparing to use boats to ferry stranded evacuees to safety across Shuswap Lake as a number of structures near the B.C. lake have been burned by encroaching wildfires.
In an update posted to social media, the Shuswap Emergency Program urged anyone hoping to evacuate by water to head to the wharf at Shuswap Lake provincial park, 4248 Ashe Rd.
Shuswap Search and Rescue boats will transport evacuees to the Shuswap Marina, where buses will be waiting to take them to Kamloops.
Evacuees can also head north to North Seymour Arm, but they are warned they will have to be “self sufficient.” Anyone looking for more information can call 403-614-1674.
Road access connecting the North Shuswap to the Trans-Canada Highway has been cut off. The wooden Scotch Creek Bridge is surrounded by intense fire, according to the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD).
More should be learned Saturday about the extent of the damage the Lower East Adams Lake fire caused on its wind-fuelled run Friday through the North Shuswap — an “unprecedented and profoundly challenging day,” according to emergency officials.
Multiple structures were lost Friday in Celista, according to the head of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, but it’s not clear what the situation is in Scotch Creek and Lee Creek, both of which were ordered to evacuate on Friday afternoon.
In the hours that followed, the fire burned down to the Squilax-Anglemont Bridge and jumped Highway 1. The highway was closed on Friday evening.
Evacuation alerts and orders have been issued for a number of communities in the area and come as firefighters battle a massive escalation in wildfire activity over the past 36 hours.
CSRD CAO John MacLean and BC Wildfire Service fire information officer Shaelee Stearns both said on Friday night that it’s too soon to know for certain where the fire went in the North Shuswap.
CSRD emergency operations centre director Derek Sutherland said Friday was a difficult day.
“Today marks an unprecedented and profoundly challenging day for the Shuswap region,” he said on Friday night.
“We find ourselves in an unparalleled crisis as the Shuswap faces its most devastating wildfire day in history. Prioritizing your safety is paramount.”
Evacuation orders are now in place for much of the North Shuswap as well as rural properties north of Chase and others on the east side of Adams Lake.
Early Saturday morning, officials ordered an emergency alert for the community of Sorrento, a settlement on the south shore of Shuswap Lake. Residents are urged to prepare to leave on a moments notice.
A full list of evacuation alerts and orders can be found on the web pages of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District and the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.
