The B.C. Wildfire Service says winds fanned by a cold front were to blame for the rapid expansion of an out-of-control fire near Golden, B.C., and it warns of similar fire behaviour even as it brings in rains and cooler weather.
The Town of Golden says the 55 square kilometre Dogtooth Forest Service Road fire destroyed as many as six homes, but assessments are still being done to confirm the damage.
The wildfire service says in its latest update that the storms that are bringing rain may also produce lightning and strong winds that temporarily boost fire behaviour.
Three employees at Canadian Timberframes near Golden, had no warning when a nearby wildfire jumped the Columbia River and “barrelled through” nearby homes, the company’s co-owner said.
“The fire was out of control. The winds changed. It came so fast,” Stephanie Bowes said in an interview on Thursday.
“We weren’t even in part of the evacuation order,” she noted, although the order did come shortly after as the employees were helping to fight the fire.
The Town of Golden confirmed Thursday afternoon about six homes were lost in the fire burning south of the community, but said “assessments are still underway to determine the extent of the damage.”
It said in an earlier social media post that the blaze,known as the Dogtooth Forest Service Road fire, had spread north, but rain and a northern wind were expected to help the fire fight.
The BC Wildfire Service said that a trend of cooler weather across much of the province had also resulted in a dip in the number of fires burning and allowed crews an opportunity to make progress on some of the approximately 420 active blazes.
It’s the first time fire numbers have dropped in weeks.
However, the service said the fires of note — those that pose a threat to people or property or are highly visible — had increased to five, with the addition of the Dogtooth fire.
Bowes said she and her husband, with whom she owns the timber-framed homes business, were at their cottage in Anglemont, B.C., about 300 kilometres away, when their workers said the blaze had “engulfed” trees around the work site on Wednesday.
Her husband immediately rushed back.
She said the business remained intact thanks to its cement retaining walls and the “tireless” work of wildfire crews.
“The fire is still out of control, but it seems to be in control around our property. There’s just smouldering fires that they’re continuously putting out throughout the property,” she said, noting light rains and wind had brought some reprieve Thursday.
“I’m just so very thankful and grateful that we have been able to come out of this where a lot of houses and homes and properties have not and my heart goes out to everybody.”
While the number of wildfires has dropped with the recent change in weather, there are still more than 400 fires burning in B.C.
An evacuation alert has been rescinded for the Village of Ashcroft, which was under threat by the Shetland Creek fire, the same blaze that destroyed at least six homes in the Venables Valley.
There are close to 60 evacuation alerts and orders across B.C., including in the Cariboo as the 143-square-kilometre Antler Creek fire threatens the nearby communities of Wells and Barkerville.
The community of Silverton remains on an evacuation order as the Aylwin Creek fire burns nearby, closing Highway 6 between New Denver and Slocan with no timeline for reopening.
Despite the improved weather, about 230 fires continue to burn out of control in the province, including a cluster in southeastern B.C., a region that has seen thousands of lightning strikes in a series of thunderstorms. The service said that region continues to be warm and dry.
In central and northern B.C., the wildfire service said rain and a break from warmer-than-usual weather are providing a much-needed respite.
The service said that in the past week at least 263 fires had been declared out, and at least 124 brought under control.
The cooler weather brought highs in the low to mid-20s in areas including Kamloops, Kelowna and Lytton, where temperatures surpassed 40 C just days ago.
Temperatures in the northern Interior, including Prince George and Williams Lake, did not get above the mid-teens.
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