A year ago, a wildfire tore through a First Nation in the interior of British Columbia, destroying 32 structures. And yet, Skwl\u0101x te Secwepemcu\u0301l\u0313ecw is celebrating. James Tomma, Kukpi7 (Chief) of the First Nation that sits around 60 kilometres east of Kamloops, told Canada\u2019s National Observer that there was a sense of despair right after the climate catastrophe during last year\u2019s historic wildfire season. Skwl\u0101x was one of more than 90 First Nations who were evacuated last year. Tomma lost his own home to the fire. He and his brothers tried to stave the fire off of their old family home, but it too burned to the ground. Community members whose homes were also lost were housed across the region, some in towns 45 minutes away, including in nearby Kamloops… <\/p>\n
A year ago, a wildfire tore through a First Nation in the interior of British Columbia, destroying 32 structures. And yet, Skwl\u0101x te Secwepemcu\u0301l\u0313ecw is celebrating. James Tomma, Kukpi7 (Chief) of the First Nation that sits around 60 kilometres east of Kamloops, told Canada\u2019s National Observer that there was a sense of despair right after the climate catastrophe during last year\u2019s historic wildfire season. Skwl\u0101x was one of more than 90 First Nations who were evacuated last year. Tomma lost his own home to the fire. He and his brothers tried to stave the fire off of their old family home, but it too burned to the ground. Community members whose homes were also lost were housed across the region, some in towns 45 minutes away, including in nearby Kamloops... <\/p>\n