The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary wants the provincial government to immediately remove an encampment in the Pend d’Oreille where three people have died in fires this spring.
This week the board approved sending a letter to the Ministry of Water and Lands asking for “prompt action, which is critical for the safety of those occupying the camp and living in the surrounding area.”
An RV fire on April 19 that claimed one life was followed by another fire on May 12 that killed two more people. No information on the victms has been released.
According to the draft letter, BC Housing and the Ministry of Forests have been aware of the encampment since 2024.
Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue chief Dan Derby said a natural resources officer was notified following the first fatality, but there has been no follow-up. Derby said the fire department has also seen evidence of a garbage fire that occurred in the same area sometime between the other two fires.
He said the encampment extends into the forest around a clearing and has a “significant buildup of vehicles, RVs, boats, ATVs and a massive amount of combustibles” including garbage, propane tanks, tires, wood debris, and fuel containers.
“So what we are trying to do as staff is get the province to fulfill their responsibility to address this concern we’ve raised,” Derby said. However, he added the province has been slow to act, and what he has received so far amounted to “non-responses.”
One email from a natural resources officer confirmed they know about the encampment, but added no action is planned. The email said officers have no mandate to move homeless people. BC Housing also acknowledged Derby’s message, but otherwise provided few details.
Derby said offering support for people who are homeless or having mental health challenges is outside the fire department’s jurisdiction.
He said at least three people are believed to be living in the encampment, although that number grows and shrinks. He estimated it would take a couple of weeks to clean up the site.
The draft letter says with wildfire season coming, the RDKB is concerned about the encampment, and particularly about how close it is to the Seven Mile dam and a nearby substation. No cell service exists in the area, so anyone reporting a fire in the area has to travel 10 to 15 minutes to do so, and then it takes a further 25 minutes for fire crews to respond.
“A wildfire in this area would pose a significant risk to residents, homes and infrastructure,” the letter reads.
Beaver Valley regional director Ali Grieve said she has raised the matter with MLA Steve Morissette and MP Rob Morrison. She said she has heard back from Morissette’s office but not from Morrison’s.
Directors said they are also concerned about other encampments, including ones in rural Grand Forks and along Casino Road outside of Trail.
Fruitvale director Bill Wenman said as range director of the Trail Wildlife Association, he evicted occupants of two encampments on property leased from Teck.
In addition to approving the letter to the lands minister, the board will write to the Ministry of Transportation about encampments along ministry rights-of-way.
In an emailed statement to Vista Radio this month, the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs said it’s aware of the Pend d’Oreille encampment and is working with other government agencies, the RCMP, and the regional district to “assess the situation and determine next steps.”
