A couple living in Celista, BC are complaining of mismanagement as forest fires encroach on their home..Jorne and Stef Wiebe have made a couple of posts online. The couple confirmed to Western Standard the posts were theirs but were not able to provide an interview before this article was written..On an Aug. 20 post on the Celista BC Community Group on Facebook, Stef Wiebe gave the first of now widely-shared accounts..“The fire department and forestry lit a back burn around 4pm on Thursday Aug 17th knowing there were 30 km winds coming,” she wrote. .“On Tuesday Aug 15th, we knew the winds were coming. The fire was approx. 15 km away from us. We don’t know who decided to light a back burn knowing the wind forecast. They lit a 14 km back burn right to our back door and never notified us. My dad, who lives in Kelowna, knew about a “out of control back burn” before we did. They didn’t even come to tell us. They notified the locals by posting it on a piece of paper at the gas station.”.Celista is a community of less than 500 people on North Shuswap Lake, east and slightly north of Kamloops. Wiebe said the fire came upon them quickly..“At 845pm we saw the fire just over the ridge. And by 12pm it had reached meadow creek road and was in (our) back yard. Without the back burn we could have had a whole day to prepare. We did have sprinklers up, water tanks loaded and generators ready to go. We knew we were pretty much on our own and would not receive much help. The fire department did come down the road and were there briefly. Once they deemed the fire out of control they left,” she wrote..Two hours later, some neighbours stopped by with some supplies and told Wiebe the firefighters were “sitting in the field having coffee.” She said she went to them but they said they had orders to sit. Although they promised to help her, she next found them 1 kilometre away..“They told me they were assessing the situation. I asked how they could assess if they couldn’t see it? I again asked them to come help and they finally did. Everyone ran around putting hot spots out. We wore water packs and half masks with headlamps for the next three days making sure our houses made it through.”.The help people had for each other was further hindered by authorities, according to Wiebe, allegedly for their good..“In the initial days after the ‘superfire’ the locals were able to get water, gas and supplies but now there is a heavy police presence. They have the roads blocked off saying they are preventing looting. The locals are being told to return to their homes. They are not allowed to be helping at all. There are spike strips on the roads. Police blocks everywhere. There are people trying to get essential supplies in such as water, gas and food by boat. They are being turned away. Police are patrolling the roads and water. They have the gas stations blocked off.".“We are more than equipped to help put this fire out but are being stopped. We need resources such as gas, diesel to keep us going. They’re trying to starve us out so they can let it burn.”.Wiebe said, “We need the real story to get out so we can get help.”.At 11:23 a.m. on Monday, Jorne Wiebe posted to X/Twitter that things have not changed much..“Now it’s days later. The one road into our community is blocked by the RCMP and they won’t let anyone in to help us with gas and food. I drove the road in and out four times before they blocked it off. The road is fine. The bridges are fine. There is no reason to stop help.”.The Western Standard reached out to Emergency Management BC’s office in Kamloops but received no reply before publication.
A couple living in Celista, BC are complaining of mismanagement as forest fires encroach on their home..Jorne and Stef Wiebe have made a couple of posts online. The couple confirmed to Western Standard the posts were theirs but were not able to provide an interview before this article was written..On an Aug. 20 post on the Celista BC Community Group on Facebook, Stef Wiebe gave the first of now widely-shared accounts..“The fire department and forestry lit a back burn around 4pm on Thursday Aug 17th knowing there were 30 km winds coming,” she wrote. .“On Tuesday Aug 15th, we knew the winds were coming. The fire was approx. 15 km away from us. We don’t know who decided to light a back burn knowing the wind forecast. They lit a 14 km back burn right to our back door and never notified us. My dad, who lives in Kelowna, knew about a “out of control back burn” before we did. They didn’t even come to tell us. They notified the locals by posting it on a piece of paper at the gas station.”.Celista is a community of less than 500 people on North Shuswap Lake, east and slightly north of Kamloops. Wiebe said the fire came upon them quickly..“At 845pm we saw the fire just over the ridge. And by 12pm it had reached meadow creek road and was in (our) back yard. Without the back burn we could have had a whole day to prepare. We did have sprinklers up, water tanks loaded and generators ready to go. We knew we were pretty much on our own and would not receive much help. The fire department did come down the road and were there briefly. Once they deemed the fire out of control they left,” she wrote..Two hours later, some neighbours stopped by with some supplies and told Wiebe the firefighters were “sitting in the field having coffee.” She said she went to them but they said they had orders to sit. Although they promised to help her, she next found them 1 kilometre away..“They told me they were assessing the situation. I asked how they could assess if they couldn’t see it? I again asked them to come help and they finally did. Everyone ran around putting hot spots out. We wore water packs and half masks with headlamps for the next three days making sure our houses made it through.”.The help people had for each other was further hindered by authorities, according to Wiebe, allegedly for their good..“In the initial days after the ‘superfire’ the locals were able to get water, gas and supplies but now there is a heavy police presence. They have the roads blocked off saying they are preventing looting. The locals are being told to return to their homes. They are not allowed to be helping at all. There are spike strips on the roads. Police blocks everywhere. There are people trying to get essential supplies in such as water, gas and food by boat. They are being turned away. Police are patrolling the roads and water. They have the gas stations blocked off.".“We are more than equipped to help put this fire out but are being stopped. We need resources such as gas, diesel to keep us going. They’re trying to starve us out so they can let it burn.”.Wiebe said, “We need the real story to get out so we can get help.”.At 11:23 a.m. on Monday, Jorne Wiebe posted to X/Twitter that things have not changed much..“Now it’s days later. The one road into our community is blocked by the RCMP and they won’t let anyone in to help us with gas and food. I drove the road in and out four times before they blocked it off. The road is fine. The bridges are fine. There is no reason to stop help.”.The Western Standard reached out to Emergency Management BC’s office in Kamloops but received no reply before publication.