A team of Delta firefighters has just arrived in the Kelowna area, ready to help battle the raging fires surrounding the city.
A big Type 1 fire truck, along with a support vehicle and trailer, left Delta at 6:30 a.m. Friday, after getting a request from BC Wildfire Service the night before.
Dep. Chief Tim Ipsen said the five firefighters will report to the emergency operations centre in Kelowna where they’ll be assigned firefighting duties.
Delta Fire and Emergency Services has in previous years responded to major fires elsewhere in B.C.
Ipsen expected the crew to be up there for a week, after which they could be replaced by another Delta crew. They won’t be fighting in the forests but protecting buildings in urban environments. The strategy could just be to hold and protect and keep the fire from advancing into residential areas.
“You’re really at the mercy of Mother Nature, I’ll be honest,” Ipsen said. “You can see that just within hours, it went from serious to dire. You’re really at the mercy of Mother Nature at the end of the day, right?
“A lot of it is being defensive, trying to stop the spread. Sometimes, you can’t put the fire out but you can stop it from spreading. It sort of burns itself out. It runs out of stuff to burn.”
Every year, BC Wildfire Service asks Delta what it can commit to provincial firefighting efforts. Delta has always opted in to help, although scheduling and staffing needs don’t always allow that, Ipsen said.
“When it does, definitely step up and try to help when we can.”
There is a bit of an onus to help smaller, rural departments, many of which are volunteer.
“First and foremost is servicing the area of Delta,” and if staff is available, they’ll help, he said.
On Friday, the firefighters tweeted their best wishes for those on the front lines.
“Our heartfelt thoughts and support extend to all the courageous individuals bravely battling wildfires throughout B.C. and Canada, along with those who have been affected,” the firefighters said.
The McDougall Creek, wildfire, outside Kelowna, has grown to an estimated 6,800 hectares, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service. By Friday morning, 2,462 properties had been evacuated with another 4,801 on evacuation alert.
In the meantime, a severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for the Central and North Okanagan as extreme fire conditions continue to threaten Kelowna and other communities.
Winds, which helped whip the McDougall Creek wildfire Thursday are expected to gust to 40 km/h by Friday afternoon as well.
The McDougall Creek fire has grown to an estimated 1,100 hectares in size according to the latest information from the BC Wildfire Service.
Emergency officials confirmed overnight that structures had been lost in both West Kelowna and the regional district, hours after images and photos started circulating of homes going up in flames in the Westside Road area.
