UPDATE 3 pm – RCMP say no arrests were made and no charges are anticipated after an attempt to run the police roadblock of Highway 1 near Sorrento last night fizzled out.

The group, which organized itself on Facebook, had hoped to rally enough support to push through the blockade in the evacuation zone, claiming its plan was to provide support to those property owners still fighting fires inside.

In a statement, Southeast District RCMP spokesperson, Cpl. James Grandy, says police in Chase were told about a “large group of people mustering with food and supplies destined for an Evacuation Order area in the North Shuswap.”

Grandy notes the increased police presence was put in place due to “ongoing efforts by some individuals who have undermined BC Wildfire Service fire suppression work through the movement of vital equipment, and have compromise emergency personnel safety through threats of violence.”

The RCMP, the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District, and the BC Government have been urging people to leave areas under evacuation order, citing the active fire and other hazards like damaged powerlines as well as unstable trees and structures. Much of the area has also been without power since last Friday.

“While we understand and sympathize with the residents of the North Shuswap, there is a process in place through the local Emergency Operations Centre that needs to be followed to ensure the safety of everyone,” Grandy said. “When the EOC deems it safe to do so, they can issue passes into the area to support a resupply.”

“Fortunately, our officers are well trained, were able to de-escalate and the situation was quickly resolved safely without incident.”

In a Thursday afternoon news conference, CSRD Emergency Operations Centre Director, Derek Sutherland, said he’s heard from a number of North Shuswap residents who did not support the events of Wednesday night.

“I’ve been talking with North Shuswap residents that maybe don’t agree with what we’ve done in this emergency but have stated adamantly that they are not supportive of this Freedom Convoy that was coming to the area and were not a part of it,” Sutherland said, responding to a question from Radio NL. “They very adamantly wanted to express that to the EOC.”

“At no point did I ever think that this was our residents. I think there is an element that grabs on to these sorts of things and I think that is what this was.”

A number of North Shuswap locals have voiced their displeasure about the police blockades on social media. Grandy told Radio NL Wednesday, that police had to resort to using spike belts after “numerous” people failed to stop at manned road blocks in the Shuswap.

“Anyone who is found not on their own property, and wandering within the Evacuation Zone may be arrested,” Grandy said. “However, anyone who wishes to leave are being allowed, and also may be assisted in doing so.”

Jay Simpson, the CSRD’s Area Director for the North Shuswap, took to Facebook to say the convoy action was a “wake up call” for him.

“We dodged a bullet with quick action last evening, being in touch with BC Wildfire Service, being in touch with the media to get the message out,” Simpson said. “I’ve had conversations with BC Wildfire this morning and they are on track to continue their good work in our community.”

Speaking to Radio NL, Simpson said the convoy set back their efforts to work with the authorities.

“It has nothing to do with the North Shuswap. It has noting to do with our efforts in reconciliation with BC Hydro or CSRD,” he said. “That is a group of people we all have become familiar with over the last few years. They often take advantage of crisis situations to push their agenda.”

Simpson says it disrupted a dialogue that they had already started with authorities about working together.

“We were able to fix that communication and we are all on track. It threw a big rock in the road and we managed to avoid it,” he added. “It certainly doesn’t help anybody’s cause or anybody’s situation.”

Wednesday’s demonstration came just hours after the BC Government confirmed the BC Wildfire Service is planning on working with locals in the Shuswap to help fight the Bush Creek East fire.

In an update this morning, the BCWS – which briefly threatened to pull its personnel out of the North Shuswap Wednesday night – said its crews will focus on the Little Shuswap Lake area, the Loakin Valley, and the Turtle Valley area.

“As we engage with our partners at the RCMP and CSRD we will determine operational activities throughout the rest of today, tomorrow, and going forward,” it said. “The top priority of our response is to keep people safe.”

“The Incident Management Team, and the BC Wildfire Service will continue dialogue with community members in the North Shuswap for more integrated work,” the Wildfire Service added.

“We recognize that most individuals in the north Shuswap area are working towards to same goal as the BC Wildfire Service – containment of the Bush Creek Wildfire.”