As bright orange flames filled the sky and roared like a freight train, Beverly Ketlo thought it was time to say goodbye to the Nadleh WhutB次元官网网址檈n bandB次元官网网址檚 beloved cultural camp.

Ketlo and Chief Larry Nooski sat in a car looking out at the devastating scene. The historic and sacred camp, where the First Nation sent their children to learn about their culture and laid to rest some of their loved ones, looked ready to disappear.

B次元官网网址淢y uncleB次元官网网址檚 ashes are actually buried on the mount there, because itB次元官网网址檚 a cremation mount,B次元官网网址� said Ketlo. B次元官网网址淚 said my goodbyes to him, even though heB次元官网网址檚 already in the ground.

B次元官网网址淚t was an emotional time. Then the next day, it was very emotional for the whole community.B次元官网网址�

The community in Fort Fraser, B.C., thought theyB次元官网网址檇 lost everything, but in the end, only a smokehouse and two cabins belonging to KetloB次元官网网址檚 relatives burned down. Still, the losses are enough to bring some band members to tears, especially since they say no one told them the fire was so close.

B次元官网网址淏roken,B次元官网网址� Ketlo said of how she feels. B次元官网网址淭here was no communication with our community.B次元官网网址�

The tiny First Nation now finds itself on the front lines of two fights: one against the enormous 910-square-kilometre Shovel Lake wildfire, and another against a disjointed federal funding system that left them scrambling to evacuate their people, buy firefighting equipment and set up an emergency operations centre as flames approached.

When Justin Trudeau visited nearby Prince George on Thursday, Nooski told the prime minister the First Nation was in dire trouble and needed help, said a band spokeswoman.

The source of their struggle, members say, is that First Nations reserves fall under federal jurisdiction, while municipalities are under provincial authority. While British Columbia has provided resources to cities and towns to prepare for wildfires, Indigenous groups argue they donB次元官网网址檛 get equal support.

Trudeau acknowledged the gaps on Thursday and pledged to clear up the flow of resources and ensure people in Indigenous communities get what they need.

Jean-Francois Tremblay, deputy minister of Indigenous Services Canada, visited the Nadleh WhutB次元官网网址檈n later Thursday with Grand Chief Ed John of the First Nations Summit. Both were among those who took helicopter tours to survey the damage from the flames.

Tremblay declined comment, but John said he has tabled a proposal, for a second time, asking the federal government to create a $200-million fund to help B.C.B次元官网网址檚 203 First Nations develop emergency response plans, buy equipment and train members over the next four years.

From the helicopter, plumes of thick grey smoke could be seen billowing from closely nestled treetops north of Fraser Lake. The success of burnoff operations was visible too, as lengthy fire guards wound through the forest next to stretches of scorched earth and disintegrated trees.

Mike Pritchard of the BC Wildfire Service said if the burnoff operations hadnB次元官网网址檛 been conducted, scattered houses not far away would have been lost.

Ketlo blamed a burnoff operation for the losses at the cultural camp, but the Wildfire Service said it hadnB次元官网网址檛 conducted any in the area and Pritchard suspects burning embers flying into the area were responsible.

From the moment the Shovel Lake wildfire began to grow out of control about two weeks ago, the Nadleh WhutB次元官网网址檈n have been through a crash course in emergency management.

Band spokeswoman Miranda Louie reached out to a cousin in the TsilhqotB次元官网网址檌n Nation, which dealt with immense wildfires last year. She put Louie in touch with Juan Cereno, who managed the TsilhqotB次元官网网址檌nB次元官网网址檚 emergency operations centre in 2017, and he rushed to Nadleh WhutB次元官网网址檈n territory.

With CerenoB次元官网网址檚 help, the band transformed its main building into an emergency centre, assigned people jobs and began stockpiling food for evacuees and cooking for band fire crews. The centre is now a streamlined operation, with a large gym where a group of Mexican firefighters ate dinner on Thursday night.

But in the early days, the First Nation said it struggled with poor communication with the regional district and the province, culminating in the losses at the cultural camp on Aug. 13. That day, the Nadleh WhutB次元官网网址檈n declared a local state of emergency, two days before B.C. made a provincewide declaration.

B次元官网网址淎fter we declared the state of emergency, it really opened up our lines of communication,B次元官网网址� said Louie. B次元官网网址淚t should have happened sooner.B次元官网网址�

Some 80 people from the 200-member band have been evacuated, including nearly all the children and elders. They are anxious about their homes, but even if no more buildings are destroyed, the band has already experienced deep losses, Louie said.

The area that has burned includes berry crops and hunting grounds, she said, and the fireB次元官网网址檚 proximity to the Nautley River means members cannot fish for salmon as they normally would in the summer.

A lot of people in the remote community rely on hunting, fishing and berry picking and are otherwise unemployed, and social assistance for on-reserve people is lower than for those off reserve, she said.

B次元官网网址淭he financial impact to our membership is going to be quite tremendous,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 really going to affect us a lot, especially when we werenB次元官网网址檛 able to fill our freezers.B次元官网网址�

Some members have defied evacuation orders and are staying behind to protect their homes. Lester George, 51, worked as a firefighter two decades ago and has armed himself with a hose and sprinklers if the flames come close.

The band has given him a permit he shows to RCMP at check points so he can travel in and out of the evacuated area, and band leaders seem to understand that some people have chosen to stay, he said.

B次元官网网址淥ld Man Fire donB次元官网网址檛 scare me,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚t has to be by gunpoint if they make me leave.B次元官网网址�

Laura Kane, The Canadian Press

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