Some answers, but still many questions about Elephant Hill wildfire

Fallen timber (in this 2015 photo, from a recent windstorm) and dead pine trees (from the pine beetle infestation) are causing the Elephant Hill wildfire to keep growing, two months after it first broke out in Ashcroft.

  

Update: On Sept. 12, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District said the fire had completely destroyed 215 buildings.
The Elephant Hill wildfire continues to rage over parts of the South Cariboo, but for many people, the damage it has already done is irreparable.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District, which for some reason has jurisdiction over much of the Cariboo south of 100 Mile House, held an information meeting tonight in Kamloops. It was broadcast live on Facebook and people were able to ask questions.

Unfortunately, many of the questions involved the role of the Office of the Fire Commissioner, which is responsible for the structural protection units (SPUs) which are supposed to do their best to save structures from burning. With this wildfire alone, 200 structures have already been burned – 182 of them to the ground. Of the 200, 135 are homes or cabins. The remaining 18 are likely salvageable.

I have a very personal interest in this fire, although it is not financial. We have very good friends who have lost everything. I’m not going to name them or say exactly where they live, but I can say it is in a remote section of the South Cariboo.

I’ve been going to their property for 44 years, since the time they bought it and moved there in 1973. They moved their family there from Langley, where they both grew up. They built a beautiful log home, and improved the property greatly. Many of us from the Lower Mainland went up to help on various work projects over the years, particularly in the first decade or so.

We were up there for a visit two years ago and had a wonderful time with our friends. They are elderly, but at that point in time were still able to manage many of the tasks involved on a remote property. They were getting some outside help, as the male member of the family is a Second World War veteran. Veterans’ Affairs was helping pay for some cleaning services, and a number of their neighbours were helping out with some of the larger tasks – such as cutting down dozens of trees that blew over their road during a windstorm two years ago.

This is one view of our friends' place in the South Cariboo, two years ago. Their home, two cabins and other outbuildings have been burned as a result of the Elephant hill wildfire.

 

I also know people who have a cabin at Pressy Lake, one of the areas hit hardest by this fire. Another area hit hard is Loon Lake, where the community’s fire hall burned down. More than 50 buildings were lost at Pressy Lake. Residents have been unable to go in there to see the damage, as the fire is still active in the immediate area.

Many of the people asking questions on Facebook tonight wanted to know exactly how much effort had been put into saving their homes and outbuildings at Pressy Lake. They were evacuated in late July, and the fire didn’t go through until about Aug. 12 or so. They understandably feel there was plenty of time to try to save their homes.

TNRD had said prior to the meeting that a representative of the Office of the Fire Commissioner would be present. That person was noticeably absent from this meeting – likely because of the questions OFC knew would be coming from Pressy Lake residents, who have been quite vocal in the past week or so, mainly because of the long drought of information they have endured. TNRD has contacted residents directly about their properties, and has set up an email group for them. A TNRD rep said tonight that a liaison with the OFC has been set up, and residents on the email list should get some answers soon.

Judging by their Facebook comments, they remain highly skeptical. I urge those residents, if they don’t get proper answers, to directly contact Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth, who is responsible for the OFC. His email address is mike.farnworth.MLA@leg.bc.ca. His Victoria office phone number is 250-356-2178, and his Port Coquitlam constituency office can be reached at 604-927-2088.

If anyone wants to try and contact the OFC directly, its office is in Saanichton and the telephone number is 250-952-4913 or 1-888-988-9488.

The same TNRD rep did confirm that a drone video has been made of the damage at Pressy Lake, and is now available for viewing on YouTube.

I also know people with property at Watch Lake and Sheridan Lake. While at this point in time their properties are not directly affected, the fire is not far away and the incident commander said tonight that it is still out of control in that area (the northeast flank).

I give TNRD full marks for holding the meeting and broadcasting it on Facebook. More than 1,000 people had already seen it while it was still in progress. It will also be available for viewing on the TNRD website as well.

The meeting did clarify a number of points. The fire was and remains very hard to deal with, due to changing winds, very hot and dry weather and a tremendous amount of fuel in the forest. We have seen that fuel for ourselves in visits there over the past decade.

One impression that I did get from the meeting is that there is no one who has overall responsibility for responding to this fire. The BC Wildfire Service is responsible for the forest fire itself, but not for protecting structures. That responsibility belongs to the fire commissioner. The RCMP is in charge of enforcement and patrols, but even though it is an arm of the federal government, the RCMP inspector at the meeting would not answer any questions about the role of the military (another federal government responsibility).

The Canadian Red Cross is responsible for helping those who have been evacuated. But many of their people are volunteers and they are at the mercy of the other authority figures in terms of getting accurate and up-to-date information. TNRD and the Cariboo Regional District issue evacuation alerts and orders, and have emergency operations committees, but can’t answer any questions involving any other agency.

Fires of this magnitude need to have one person on top of the command structure, and that person needs to be fully accountable. That person needs to be able to get answers for residents who are directly affected. That person needs the power to cut through the enormous amount of red tape which was on display this evening.

I also believe that too many people who are called to deal with the fire are (to use a Nova Scotia phrase) “from away,” and do not know the local conditions and areas sufficiently. The incident commander, who clearly has lots of experience in dealing with wildfires, did a good job of answering questions about the fire suppression efforts which are part of his direct responsibilities. He deserves credit for doing so.  

A letter to the editor from a knowledgeable North Thompson resident, Jim Lamberton, asked some very good questions about why local people’s knowledge isn’t used to help fight these fires, particularly in the early stages. This fire spread rapidly when it first broke out near Ashcroft, and that may have been a factor in the initial response. Nonetheless, the letter is well worth a read.

The TNRD official also singled out the electronic media for praise in getting the word out to residents. No problem with that. It’s too bad she left out the local newspapers in the Kamloops and Cariboo regions that have been publishing far more detail than most of the electronic media outlets  – Kamloops This Week, the Ashcroft-Cache Creek Journal, 100 Mile House Free Press, Williams Lake Tribune and Quesnel Cariboo Observer. All have done a tremendous job in keeping people informed through their print products and websites, which are often being updated numerous times a day. They do so with very small staffs.

There has also been some very good information available online, posted by online news sites and individuals. Facebook has proven to be a very good way for affected residents to exchange information as well.

Like everyone else, I would like to see the expansion of this fire quickly come to an end. Heavy rain with minimal wind is needed there - now. The fire won’t be extinguished for a long while yet (it may burn until 2018), but cool weather and rain would go at least part of the way to helping contain it.

Meanwhile, all those directly affected, like our friends, have had their lives changed drastically and permanently.