The BC Wildfire Service is pushing back against concerns that a planned ignition last Thursday, Aug. 17, near Lee Creek and Scotch Creek caused the formerly named Lower East Adams Lake Fire to move into the North Shuswap and destroy some homes and properties.

Director of Provincial Operations, Cliff Chapman, says it was the 40 km/hr sustained winds brought on by a cold front that caused the fire to go on a massive 20 kilometre run on Friday.

“As those winds were approaching, there was a continuous line of fuel between the main body of the fire and all of the communities along the North Shuswap,” Chapman said. “We did our planned ignition under the conditions it which we planned for.”

“I want to be perfectly clear, that planned ignition saved hundreds of homes and properties along the North Shuswap.”

The plan was to ignite the flames while winds were blowing from the south to push the fire back onto itself. The idea, the BC Wildfire Service, was to finish that work before the winds shifted to the north, potentially pushing the fire south towards the communities.

“That fire went above the control line that we burned off from and then swept back into the communities in the North Shuswap,” Chapman added.

“We were still successful in protecting some of those properties along the North Shuswap in the hundreds, unfortunately, we’ve also now seen the devastation the main body of that fire had in areas like Scotch Creek, Celista, and others.”

Some residents disagree with BCWS claims

Some residents in the North Shuswap though disagreed with the timing of the planned ignition.

“Yesterday was… no words. We stood on the road Thursday night watching the planned ignition light up the hillside. You could feel the heat. Then a fire started up the road in Celista. We were told it was contained. Woke up to the strangest orange skies, strong gusts of wind, and a bad feeling,” Kim Latval Cline, said in a Saturday post on Facebook.

“Around 1 pm our neighbours went to take a drive and called us to ‘get out’ the fire was at the Scotch Creek Bridge and up the ridge. There was no warning. Within minutes we pulled out with our neighbours. There was no other fire activity along the North Shuswap and I thought it was a localized fire. Just before Chase we got the order and the bridge was closed. By midnight, we’ll I’m sure you’ve seen the news.”

“We are lucky. As of this morning, our house is fine. It is still at risk, but I’m hopeful. My heart is breaking for our community and those who have lost homes, businesses, and belongings.”

“People are using words like Armageddon to describe what’s happening on the North Shuswap,” Louise McDonald Campbell, added on Facebook. “After a planned aerial ignition that spanned 14 km and torched 2,500 hectares at once on top of a 10,000 hectare fire, BCWS declared their ignition was a success.”

“Suddenly, there was a fresh inferno that didn’t do what it was supposed to do. Locals tried to battle spot fires all night without any support from BCWS. By midday as winds whipped up from unexpected directions, fire was rushing up and down everywhere. The one lane wooden bridge (the only exit) had flames on both sides by the time evacuation order was issued. I have no idea how bad it’s going to get. The homes and livelihoods of our families are abandoned after this reckless act.”

Other residents though say they appreciated the efforts of the BC Wildfire Service.

“Yesterday was a extremely terrifying time. We had only minutes to escape,” Chris Brochu said, on Facebook. “This fire is now so massive I can’t imagine how hard it must be to organize man power!!! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, BC Wildfire.”

“Words cannot express your sacrifice and service. Thank you for all you are doing,” added Christie Zenchyshyn.

Planned ignition did not cause Adams Fires to merge: BCWS

Chapman also says it was not the planned ignition that caused the Lower East Adams Lake and Bush Creek East fires to merge into the 410 sq km behemoth it currently is.

“It was actually the cold front wind that pushed the fires together and merging them towards Highway 1, which ultimately led to the closure of Highway 1,” he said, noting planned ignitions are used quite frequently around the world.

“Eliminating the fuel is, in a lot of cases, the best way to try to protect any infrastructure and values ahead of the front of a fire,” Chapman said, noting that when conditions are as dry as it is right now, “traditional” firefighting tactics, like the use of water bombers and ground operations, will not be successful.

“When we know that there’s 40- to 50 -kilometre sustained winds coming, we knew that we had to eliminate that fuel. And again, I would like to stress it was largely successful and it protected hundreds of properties in the Shuswap area.”

BCWS not prioritizing Kelowna fires over other: Chapman

The BC Wildfire Service also says any suggestion that it is prioritizing the McDougall Creek fire near Kelowna over others is untrue.

Cliff Chapman says the Wildfire Service decides where to focus its resources based on where it thinks it can be most effective in protecting life and property.

“We have 164 people assigned to the McDougall Creek fire in Kelowna and West Kelowna,” he said. “There are 385 people assigned to the Adams Lake complex. There are over 130 people assigned to Kookipi Creek [near Lytton] and there are over 180 resources assigned to the Bender Complex in the Fraser Canyon.”

Chapman says these numbers might fluctuate on a day to day basis, based on the need on the ground.

“We evaluate daily ground operations and make decisions on moving resources based on where the most potential and significant impact of the fire will be to life and property,” he added.

“That will continue for the rest of the fire season”

And he notes new firefighters from Mexico and South Africa coming to the province this week will be deployed across the Kamloops Fire Centre and in the Fraser Canyon – as needed.