Bush Creek East wildfire

In Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw First Nation, where last summer fires in B.C. destroyed homes and buildings, elders are smiling and laughing again.

The large wildfire that destroyed dozens of homes in West Kelowna, B.C., and was a key front in the province's most devastating fire season on record is now considered "held" after raging out of control since mid-August.

All that stands of the Scotch Creek — Lee Creek firehall in the British Columbia Interior’s Shuswap region is a set of blackened stairs leading to a pile of rubble.

People whose homes were destroyed by the wildfire in and around West Kelowna, B.C., are being contacted to schedule escorted bus visits to view the damage.

The wildfire that has been rampaging through the Shuswap region of the B.C. Interior has also sparked a fight over whether local Opposition MLAs have been encouraging residents to disobey firefighters, or if the government is refusing to listen to critics of its response to the fires.

Officials in British Columbia's Shuswap and Okanagan regions are shifting some of their attention from wildfire response to the challenges of recovery as flames abate and many evacuees begin returning home, although crews continue to fight out-of-control blazes.

Firefighters in British Columbia's southern Interior continue to battle a number of major blazes, having been aided by ample rainfall that fell on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, over the Okanagan and Shuswap regions.