The chief of a B.C. First Nation acknowledged the fear and anxiety among members who were forced to flee due to a fast-moving wildfire, saying it is too soon to officially confirm the scale of what the community has lost. The Bradley Creek Wildfire forced the complete evacuation of the Okanagan Indian Band reserve north of Vernon on Saturday, as fierce winds fanned the flames and tinder-dry conditions fuelled explosive growth. Chief Dan Wilson posted a video update to social media Sunday night in which he said the previous 36 hours represented an emergency situation unlike anything the community had seen in years. “We still don’t know the full extent of what this wildfire has taken from us,” he said. “We don’t know the condition of every home, we don’t know the impact on families, infrastructure or our community. Those answers will come, but they’ll take time. I know that’s difficult to hear.” Wilson said he understands that the most urgent questions members have are when they can go home, and whether they have a home to return to. “If I had the answer today, I would give it to you. The reality is, is that I can’t,” he said. “I’m not going to promise you a date when we can go home, because I don’t have one. I’m not telling you everything is OK because for many people it isn’t.” Provincial officials confirmed Sunday that structures have been lost in the fire, but also said conditions remained too volatile to assess the damage. While evacuees await information from local officials, Wilson said he knows some are seeing images and video on social media showing homes destroyed by fire. “Some of what you’re seeing is upsetting, some of it raises more questions than it answers,” Wilson said. “The emergency isn’t over, there will be hard days ahead.” As of Monday morning, the B.C. Wildfire Service estimated the fire’s size at more than 26 square kilometres—but noted there had been no “significant growth” over the past 24 hours. BC Hydro said the Bradley Creek wildfire has caused “extensive damage” to its infrastructure. “As access to affected areas improves, crews are also conducting preliminary damage assessments to determine the full extent of the wildfire’s impact on the electrical system,” a statement from the utility said. “Given the dynamic wildfire situation, further outages remain possible if fire activity, changing conditions or additional damage impacts electrical infrastructure.” Highway 97 north of Vernon remains closed in both directions due to the fire.
