A small assortment of mugs, teacups, and figurines, some of them chipped, charred or warped, are carefully arranged on a blue tarp in front of a pile of burned rubble which used to be Kukpi7 Jamie Tomma’s home.
Tomma said in the wake of the Bush Creek East wildfire, which raged through the Little Shuswap Lake region in mid-August destroying 31 Skwlax te Secwepemculecw homes, an organization sent crews to sift through debris and recover any remaining personal possessions.
“We looked at this stuff — we went through it, we found some stuff that meant a lot to us, but then we realized that we'll never recover what we had,” he said.
Looking over his property, Tomma described what was lost — his house along with nine homes belonging to his immediate neighbours, his book collection, a fastback car that belonged to his father and another vehicle he was intending to give to his daughter.
He also described the “great comfort” he feels now that Skwlax te Secwepemculecw band members who have homes still standing have been able to return to the community, with the exception of two houses that have yet to be deemed fit for living.
Tomma said the band held a homecoming celebration last week to celebrate their return, an event held almost exactly three months since Aug. 18, when the wildfire, fuelled by high winds, made an aggressive run through the region.
“Our band is quite small — 390 people," Tomma said, noting he's proud of the resilience he's seen since the summer.
"And we filled the conference centre. people laughing, talking here, here learning, again, how to be a people together, you know, and it felt really good for me to see that.".
He said people were getting anxious to return, but the band needed to ensure all necessary infrastructure was in place, and perform safety assessments to ensure there weren’t lingering carcinogenic toxins.
Tomma said those whose homes were destroyed are still scattered. He said he’s staying in Kamloops, while others are in Sorrento and Salmon Arm.
According to Tomma, the band is still a few months away from implementing a temporary housing program.
“We're thinking early next year, the remainder of our band members hopefully will return home,” he said.
He said looking at rebuilding 31 permanent homes, along with the necessary infrastructure, is a “daunting task,” but the band has secured a rebuild and recovery team that are working towards that goal.
Most of the evacuation orders have now been lifted, with the exception of some places like the band's north subdivision, where Tomma's property is located. The Kukpi7 said there’s a large slope behind this neighbourhood which needs to be assessed for stability given the fact that the wildfire burned all the vegetation.
Security checkpoints are still set up at the entrances to the community to stop looters and others “who don’t have the best interests at heart,” but Tomma noted this process would be changing by the end of the week as many people have returned home.
Tomma was one of the final band members to leave the community as the wildfire hit Skwlax te Secwepemculecw, running to the river alongside his two brothers and eventually rescued by boat after being trapped under a bridge.
Now, Tomma said he will wait until all his people are safely housed to rebuild his own home.
“I have to put my people in front of me," he said. "When the last band member can open a door and close it behind them and say they’re home, then I can build mine. That's what Kukpi7s are — people first.”
