Shetland Creek wildfire burns 20 structures, six homes in Venables Valley: TNRD

KAMLOOPS — On Monday night (July 22nd), the Thompson Nicola Regional District hosted an information meeting for residents evacuated from Venables Valley due to the Shetland Creek Wildfire. The meeting was a chance for residents to hear from the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS), TNRD and emergency support services, as well as ask questions while they await an opportunity to return home and assess the damage.

It all happened so fast. Residents from Venables Valley were forced to flee from their homes on July 17 after the Shetland Creek wildfire crested a ridge above their community and began moving down the slope toward homes.

“Once it got to the top of the ridge and the column was still tilted over, the fire started spotting,” Brad Litke, senior wildfire operations officer, explains. “It was the spot fires that started to catch.”

“We were in the middle of a FireSmart meeting,” resident Mark Alan Greenberg recalls. “I was like, ‘There are trees candling right on that ridge there. We need to evac, now.’”

Around 40 residents of Venables Valley and the surrounding area attended the meeting at the Hal Rogers Centre, where they received updates from BCWS as well as the TNRD and other agencies. There, they heard the grim news that multiple structures in the community have been destroyed by the fire.

“We counted up well over 20 structures that have burned. That did include outbuildings, garages, shops, wood shelters, things like that,” Kevin Skrepnek, TNRD community and emergency services manager, says. “We’re fairly confident right now that the number of homes that have burned is six, and I know Mark has already been in touch with those folks.”

“Twelve years of building,” Greenberg explains. “You know, we’re all one big family in the community, so one house down… it’s like family. It was a lot of destruction.”

While residents had questions about the lead-up to the fire and how the sequence of events all played out, they were appreciative of the efforts of TNRD officials and the BC Wildfire Service.

“My hat’s off to them,” Jay Trimble, Hat Creek Road resident, says. “Is it being done perfectly? No, but it’s a wildfire. It’s not an event like a concert. I’m very impressed.”

“The good thing is 100 per cent of the community cooperated,” Greenberg says. “We were out within two hours — there were no injuries. Ultimately, that’s what is important.”

While crews continue to battle the blaze, evacuated residents await an opportunity to return home, even temporarily to retrieve more belongings and assess the damage to their community.