Kamloops-Centre MLA Peter Milobar owes BC Wildfire Service an apology, says B.C. Forest Minister Ravi Parmar.
In an interview with The Hope Standard, Parmar said that Milobar owes the BC Wildfire Service, and all wildland firefighters, an apology after he posted a tweet on X criticizing BC Wildfire Service for allegedly just watching the Mine Creek blaze burn instead of responding to it after he drove on the highway on Sept. 3 around 11:30 a.m.
The Coquihalla Highway, between Hope and Merritt, was closed just before 4 p.m. on Sept. 3. It reopened Friday at 11:30 a.m.
"I was flabbergasted to see Peter Milobar, a seasoned MLA, an experienced MLA, spreading disinformation," Parmar said. "I was pissed off. He's an idiot for taking the approach that he has. And I think he's an idiot for one reason which is, by putting out that tweet, he's attacking every single hard-working wildland firefighter who is putting their lives on the line every single day.
"Earlier this week, I had to go up to a podium and talk about wildland firefighters who went through a forced landing in a helicopter. And then to see Peter Milobar spreading disinformation, and saying that the wildland firefighters — who are working hard to protect British Columbians, and our communities — that they are somehow sitting off on the sidelines and letting a fire grow? It is absolutely offensive to those firefighters."
"I'll say it again. Peter Milobar is an idiot. And he needs to apologize to every single wildland firefighter."
On Wednesday, Sept. 3 a BC Wildfire Service helicopter was forced to land near Pemberton. The helicopter was carrying an initial attack crew while responding to a wildfire, and no one was injured during the landing.
Parmar said that Milobar also needs to educate himself and speak with wildland firefighters before commenting on wildfires again.
In his post, Milobar said that he "drove through around 11:30 a.m. today (Sept. 3) and was on the other side of the ridge. No actioning (can you say save money with fiscal mess) and now we have a closed major highway, at what cost to the economy and infrastructure impacts? A fire that is being actioned, taking a run is one thing, just watching it burn is another thing all together."
Milobar's comment was made in response to Bob Price, the former news director at CHNL Radio in Kamloops, criticizing BC Wildfire on social media. Price said that BC Wildfire embarrassed themselves by allowing the Mine Creek wildfire to burn, and reach its current size, and wondered if they "have the balls to step before even a wimpy news media to face questions like why they think it's okay to destroy billions of dollars worth of infrastructure...power lines, weaken bridge decks."
Discovered on Monday, Sept. 1, the Mine Creek wildfire is estimated at 1,900 hectares according to BC Wildfire Service's latest update as of 11:01 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 5. It is located 44 kilometres northeast of Hope and the fire is highly visible with plumes of smoke seen from Hope.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) and the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) have issued two evacuation orders and two evacuation alerts due to the wildfire.
After seeing Milobar's tweet, Parmar also took to social media to express his shock over the MLA for "amplifying dangerous conspiracy theories."
He further clarified that Milobar's comment was false as BC Wildfire Service have been actively working around the clock responding to the fire and keeping people, communities, and infrastructure safe.
Specifically, Parmar said that BC Wildfire Service respond to wildfires as soon as they are alerted about it. In the case of the Mine Creek wildfire, initial attack crews have been on site assessing the fire and helping to "inform the Fire Centre on what resources" will be needed to fight it. Structure protection crews and aviation resources have also been brought in.
He also said this wildfire has been a challenge due to the terrain being very difficult. BC Wildfire Service also said that unexpected weather conditions such as the wind, and multiple bridges being washed out from the previous flooding has added to the fire's difficulty.
"I hope Peter will recognize that many of the crews remained onsite of this fire overnight, conducting structure protection objectives," Parmar said. "Not only were they fighting the fire, they were also taking the opportunity in the evening, and into the night, they were going out and they were trying to save infrastructure and save people's homes. And that's the complexity of wildland firefighters."
The minister also wants to remind the public that BC Wildfire Service is an organization that is active year round and 1,300 wildland firefighters work throughout the summer, in nearly every community.
Information about wildfires and roads, he said, should be taken from official sources. This includes following BC Wildfire Service and DriveBC on their social media, and learning about wildfire safety from FireSmart website.
"Our wildand firefighters are doing their part every single day," he said. "They're fighting fires. They're protecting communities and lives. And we, as British Columbians, all have a role to play when it comes to wildfires. And that is to be FireSmart and to FireSmart our properties."
