Gusty conditions could cause ‘extreme’ fire situation

WILLIAMS LAKE Dustin Duncan was sitting in his backyard Friday afternoon last week watching his four-year-old daughter play in a kiddie pool, when lightning struck the hillside above his community.

Duncan, 29, a member of the Williams Lake Indian Band, was hoping to take a break this summer from fighting wildfires with the province. Often, it would take him away for months at a time from his daughter Samantha.

When he saw within minutes the black smoke billowing from the lightning strike area, he knew there would be no break.

On Friday afternoon, Duncan and community firefighters Dave Cady and Scott Williams were searching out hot spots in the blackened and fire-scarred hillside, above the Coyote Rock Golf Course, part of their First Nation’s territory. It’s dirty work for the crew, who would normally be working for the community-owned Borland Creek Logging.

They were using hand tools and water from a pump on a wagon attached to a four-wheel ATV they had used to climb partway into the steep terrain. Often, they can’t get water to the hot spots and must rely solely on the hand tools.

The fire had jumped the highway and burned one house in their community, a number of outbuildings and vehicles, but their firefighters helped stave off more serious damage.

Duncan believes it could have been even worse had the community not, in the past few years, removed dry brush on the hillsides, which is fuel for wildfires that can quickly bring flames high into the timber.

Of the work they are doing now, Duncan said: “We are just putting peace of mind to the community.”

Most of the 200 to 300 community members have been evacuated from the reserve — and are now staying in Williams Lake or farther north in Quesnel or Prince George.

Cady, 48, who was also working on the hillside Friday afternoon, had seen the lightning strike as well. He had a good vantage point from a campground just below the hillside.

He said he saw trees explode into flames.

“We all knew how dry it was — it was just a matter of time,” he said.

He noted that last year the Williams Lake area had a wet summer. Everyone wanted a good summer, instead they got too much, said Cady. And it may not be over yet.

If winds pick up or change direction, it could fan the flames again, noted Duncan. “It’s really up to Mother Nature now.”