Three employees of Canadian Timberframes, located near Golden, B.C., were not warned when a nearby wildfire crossed the Columbia River and “engulfed” up to five 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 Thursday.
“We weren’t even part of the evacuation order,” she noted, although the order came shortly afterward as employees helped fight the fire.
The town of Golden, B.C., confirmed Thursday that the fire burning south of the community had destroyed “several structures,” but did not provide details.
The city said on social media that the 1.33-square-kilometre fire, known as the Dogtooth Forest Service Road fire, had spread north, but that rain and a northerly wind should help fight it.
Mme Bowes testified that she and her husband, with whom she owns the timber-frame home business, were at their cottage in Anglemont, B.C., about 300 kilometres away, when their workers said the fire had “engulfed” the trees around the construction site on Wednesday.
Her husband came back as quickly as possible.
Mme Bowes testified that the building housing 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 contained around our property. There are just smoldering fires that (firefighters) are continually putting out all around,” she said, noting that light rain and wind had brought some respite Thursday.
“I’m really grateful that we were able to avoid this situation when it’s not the case for many homes and properties. My thoughts are with all those people,” she added.
The city of Golden’s website said Thursday that officials were working to “save as many structures as possible” from the fire, prompting evacuation orders Wednesday for properties along the Columbia River, which runs alongside Interstate 95.
The milder temperature
The BC Wildfire Service said cooler weather across much of the province has led to a drop in the number of fires and allowed crews to make progress on some of the 425 active fires.
This is the first time that the number of fires has decreased in weeks.
However, the service said the number of notable fires — those that pose a threat to people or property or are highly visible — had increased to five, with the addition of the Dogtooth fire.
Despite improving weather conditions, more than 230 fires remain out of control across the province, with one in southeastern B.C., an area that has seen thousands of lightning strikes during a series of thunderstorms. The service said the weather in that region continues to be hot and dry.
In central and northern B.C., the wildfire service said rain and a break from warm weather are providing a much-needed respite, adding that over the past week at least 238 fires have been extinguished and at least 124 more have been contained.
Environment Canada is forecasting temperatures in the 20s in parts of the Interior, including Kamloops, Kelowna and Lytton, where temperatures exceeded 40 C just a few days ago.
Temperatures in the northern interior, including Prince George and Williams Lake, are expected to remain around 15 degrees.
Among the province’s most devastating wildfires is the 225-square-kilometre Shetland Creek fire near Spences Bridge, which has destroyed about 20 structures in the Venables Valley, including at least six homes.
Another major fire is the four-square-kilometre Aylwin Creek fire south of Silverton in the central Kootenay region, which has triggered an evacuation order for the entire village and 17 neighbouring properties.
A few miles to the north, 16 other properties were evacuated outside the community of New Denver due to the Wilson Creek wildfire.
On Vancouver Island, the Old Man Lake wildfire is burning out of control and is located about nine kilometres north of Sooke.
The Capital Regional District says the fire is burning a few kilometres south of the Sooke Lake reservoir, which is part of the water supply for about 350,000 people in Greater Victoria.