Lightning Sparks Spot-Fires in the Shuswap Area
By Sionna McTavish & Jo Anne Malpass
A lightning strike ignited the forest at the end of Hudson Road in Anglemont July 29, 2022
(Photo credit Sionna McTavish)
A July 29 early-morning lightning storm sparked nine spot-sized fires in the Shuswap area, leading to the BC Wildfire Service and local fire departments actively fighting fires in several locations.
Although no fires were reported on the South Shuswap, local citizens played a big part in preventing the spread of these fires by calling 911 to report seeing smoke on the North Shuswap.
Five fires on the North Shuswap, two in Scotch Creek, two in Celista and one in Anglemont are all now out. One near Seymour Arm at Bass Creek which reached .58 hectares is also out. Two others on Celista Mountain, farther north from Seymour are still considered out of control but listed at less than 1 hectare.
Lightning strike hits a tree on Leopold Road in Scotch Creek July 29, 2022 (Photo credit Jake Wideman)
With a lightning strike that same day at Keremeos Creek southeast of Penticton leading to a fire estimated at 2790 hectares, several of our well-trained Shuswap firefighters have now been deployed to assist there.
One of the fires called in by South Shuswap residents was right in the community of Anglemont. A lightning strike ignited the forest at the end of Hudson Road next to a CSRD Water Supply System Tower, just after 7:00 am. Substantial smoke was seen and initially reported from across the Lake, said Graham Lucas, Fire Chief Commander of the Anglemont Fire Department.
Although the Crew was alerted and convened immediately at the Anglemont Fire Hall, the fire was not easily located given that this residential area is largely forested. An Anglemont resident, Kim Smith, provided further information when she and her husband saw “more than just campfire smoke” billowing from the forest nearby, above their home. Upon investigation they found the flames were “five feet high” and had begun “to climb trees.” She called *5555, was put on hold, so hung up and dialed 911. She then notified neighbours and posted a video on Facebook.
Even the slightest delay in response to a wildfire can result in a vastly different outcome, said Chief Lucas. In this case, although the area was accessible to the Firefighters who attended the scene quickly and extinguished the blaze, flames were already candling a healthy, mature fir tree and others surrounding it. He remarked that if the fire had started at 2 am and gone undetected, the potential for it to get out of control and result in evacuation orders was very real.
Calling 911 is the best/fastest response number to call for emergencies. You can call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 from a cell phone. Campfires are banned as of noon August 4.
BC Wildfire also has a new “Report a Wildfire” add a photo feature on the BC Wildfire Service Mobile App. It gives its operational team members clear information of what you are seeing, and along with the longitude and latitude information on the app, helps them make timely response decisions.
“When we receive a report with a photo, it is infinitely better than one without. It allows for an almost immediate behaviour assessment and in many cases narrows the location down to a very small area compared to verbal or text reports which can leave us with many kilometres to search. Photos submitted through Report a Fire are accessible to BC Wildfire Service response staff and provide them with a sense of what is happening on the ground before crews arrive on site.
To use this feature, make sure you have the latest version of the app downloaded to your mobile device (version 1.6.0). The Report a Fire function is not available unless you are connected to WiFi or a data network. A video tutorial in the “Help” section explains how to report a fire in the app.
“We live in the fuel” said Anglemont Fire Chief Lucas, as he emphasized the critical importance of fire mitigation practices that include removal of tree branches ten feet above ground. In heavily treed, mountainous areas of the Shuswap and many other parts of BC, Lucas explained that an active wildfire can be just over the ridge of a populated area and may seem a far distance away but is in fact extremely close. More precisely, within “minutes”.
Among many preparedness measures communities can undertake for natural disasters, such as FireSmarting, ensuring there is a Neighborhood Emergency Program (NEP) in your area is a vital component. This is particularly important when evacuation alerts and/or orders are issued. Lucas said the process to become an NEP representative is straightforward, “stop by the Fire Hall and fill out a form.”
Amongst responsibilities, a NEP representative provides house numbers associated with number of people in a household – regardless of seasonal/non-seasonal occupancy – to local and provincial emergency response teams, and acts as a key link for communication between such agencies and the public.
“Our biggest asset for detecting new wildfires in B.C. is you,” says BC Wildfire. Fire Chiefs in the region agree, asking people to call it in if they see smoke, so they can find the cause and deal with it quickly.
