As wildfires blazed across the province, most unaffected B.C. residents could do nothing but watch the headlines and unbelievable footage of the disaster impacting their province.
But when Agassiz firefighters were offered the chance to help fight back against fires and protect communities at risk, they jumped at the chance.
On Aug. 19, Agassiz Engine 1 and 2 and Tender 1 through 5 were called to assist B.C. Wildfire Service in fighting a wildfire about 6.5 kilometres up Harrison East First Service Road. Six Agassiz firefighters joined the efforts.
Only weeks later, a call came in for more assistance, this time near Elephant Hill, where heavy winds were pushing fires east towards Sheridan Lake. This time, four Agassiz firefighters volunteered to assist with the crucial task of preparing structures with sprinklers and fire-combating systems in case the blaze moved in.
Agassiz firefighter Sean Lau is only 20, but has already experienced the force and power of a B.C. wildfire.
On Aug.19 around 9 p.m., the Agassiz Fire Department was returning from a faulty-alarms call when a page came in for all available firefighters to head up the east side of Harrison to assist B.C. Wildfire Service crews.
“We all knew it was going to be a long night,” Lau recalls. “I had wanted to go to the [wildfire] happening up in the Okanagan if I had the chance, so to have one close to home… I was one of the first hands up.”
All of the firefighters are required to take a yearly course on fighting wildfires, Lau adds.
With four in the engine and two in the water tender, the team made their way to the blaze.
“You roll up and it’s dark, it’s dark, it’s dark….and then all the sudden there’s just this glow over the trees,” Lau says. “I’ve driven through wildfire areas before…but I’ve never actually been to an active one, let alone get a chance to help fight it.
“So going up to an ongoing fire was pretty crazy.”
Due to the size and location of the fire, Lau says all they could do was try to keep a block going, using the road as a buffer to prevent the fire from burning towards the main service road and lake.
“You just try to keep it on one side of the road and put out what you can…You just try to contain it and hope that it burns itself out.”
Lau says firefighters can’t wear contact lenses when they fight wildfires because the heat can melt the plastic. But he says the heat wasn’t as bad as he expected. Still, the level 4-5-ranked fire provided extraordinary visuals, demonstrating its uncontrollable power to the firefighters containing it.
“There was a huge area that was just red,” Lau says. “And then up there’s little ridges that would run up and you could just watch the fire run the ridge.”
Lau says the fire “creeped up” the pine trees, igniting the foliage and creating what’s referred to as a “candling” effect.
“The fire runs up the tree and then it just seems like at the exact same time, all the pines just catch on fire. And it’s super loud and really bright and then it’s just gone,” he recalls.
The local unit helped B.C. Wildfire through the night, returning to the station around 4 a.m.
Lau says the crew had breaks over the night, but adds adrenaline is a huge part of what keeps them moving for long hours.
“You don’t realize it at the time but next thing you know, you stand back and you realize, ‘Wow, I am tired.’ “
Lt. Mike Van Laerhoven also assisted B.C. Wildfire with combating flames in Harrison and, not long after, he was volunteering to go to the Sheridan Lake area to help teams fight the fast-moving Elephant Hill wildfire, at that time an estimated 181,273 hectares, only 50 per cent contained and heading quickly towards homes around the lake and south of Highway 24.
While the communities were already under evacuation order, there was a risk to buildings and houses in the area.
“One of the biggest reasons that I decided to volunteer was the experience for myself in case we ever have to deal with a similar situation in the District of Kent area,” Van Laerhoven says. “We have some areas of our community that are at risk of urban wildland interface fires and I think that having previous experience…would help me greatly in the future.”
It sounds like firefighter jargon, but a wildland urban interface (WUI) is defined in the FireSmart manual as “any area where combustible forest fuel is found adjacent to homes, farm structures or other outbuildings.” This can occur where development and vegetation meet at a well-defined boundary, or in the “intermix,” where development and forest fuel intermingle with no clearly defined boundary.
But Van Laerhoven is quick to mention that despite the size and risk of the fire threatening the communities, he wasn’t standing on the frontlines of a 40-foot blaze the way people might imagine.
In fact, after becoming acquainted with the area, he and three other Agassiz firefighters were tasked with assisting structural protection crews in setting up pumps, hoses and sprinklers in case the fire became too close and too dangerous for firefighters to combat.
“We didn’t see much of the fire front where it was active, like very, very active,” he says. “It’s simply too dangerous to be standing right in front of it [so] they set up in advance with all the sprinklers in case it isn’t safe for firefighters to be there.”
While flames licked the edge of local communities, no structures were damaged on the side of the lake where Van Laerhoven was stationed.
He says the Agassiz team spent at least one day putting out “hotspots” and fighting the fire, fortunately at a time when weather kept flame heights low and crews could attack it with hoselines.
After five days stationed near Sheridan Lake, B.C. Wildfire Service determined the threat level was low enough to release some of the crews, including Agassiz’s.
“I like making a difference in my community and that’s one of the reasons I joined the fire department,” Van Laerhoven says. “And I never wish for [wildfires] to happen but I’m happy that the training was provided to me and I can assist and make a difference.”
