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Shuswap firefighters battle 100 Mile blaze

After a 19 hour shift and six-hours sleep, an exhausted Brett Ogino is preparing for another day of fighting the wildfire near 100 Mile House.
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After a 19 hour shift and six-hours sleep, an exhausted Brett Ogino is preparing for another day of fighting the wildfire near 100 Mile House.

The Sicamous fire chief is one of five firefighters from the Columbia Shuswap Regional District taking part in the massive effort to control and contain the blaze, which has forced the evacuation of 100 Mile House and neighbouring communities in 103 Mile, 105 Mile and 108 Mile Ranch, as well as part of Lac la Hache.

With Ogino is fellow Sicamous firefighter Jason Reid, Scotch Creek Fire Chief Mike Engholm, Salmon Arm firefighter Carmen Guidos and Ranchero-Deep Creek firefighter Ian Webster.

The Shuswap firefighters are part of the structural protection team, tasked with setting up sprinkler systems to protect homes and other man-made structures. So far, said Ogino, the sprinklers seem to be doing their job. But he recognizes that could easily change with the wind.

“It’s been some pretty crazy fire behaviour,” said Ogino. “We’ve seen a lot of high wind. We’ve been in areas working away and told, ‘Get out now.’”

Ogino said the Shuswap firefighting contingent was deployed at 4 a.m. on Friday. They weren’t off the fire line until 2 a.m.

“It was just unbelievable fire behaviour,” said Ogino. “I’ve been in some pretty big fires and that stuff was just crazy. And then all the lightning strikes that we never even knew were going on, there was a thunderstorm apparently, and it lit up Williams Lake, Ashcroft, all these different areas, right. It’s got that 2003 feel to it. I’ve worked in other wildfires since, but not near the size and scope of this one. And with all the other fires going on in the Interior… that’s why I said it sort of has a 2003 feel to it.”

Though some structures have been lost in the blaze, no one, to Ogino’s knowledge, has been injured. But the danger of the fire spreading remains, and Ogino encourages people to be prepared - be it in the Cariboo region or back at home.

“If there’s anything that should be talked about, it’s people’s preparedness,” said Ogino. “Typically, the ones who are prepared leave calm, cool and have a place to go. The ones who aren’t prepared are in a panic and drive around like maniacs… Get a go bag ready. On the peak of a wildfire season, when the province is on fire, you’re not going to have a ton of help. A plan is a really good first step and then making sure it’s all good to go.”

Ogino and his fellow Shuswap firefighters’ voluntary deployment (funded by the B.C. government) can last up to 14 days. After that, Ogino says he’s not sure he’ll return, as the hours are long and the work is physically demanding. And while the firefighters can try to control and contain the blaze, the only force that can really knock it down is nature.

“We can try and steer it, we can try and manipulate it a little bit, but when Mother Nature decides I’m going here with my fire, get out of the way, and hope that you’ve done the best that you can,” said Ogino.

Ranchero-Deep Creek firefighter Ian Webster, Scotch Creek Fire Chief Mike Engholm, Salmon Arm firefighter Carmen Guidos, Sicamous Fire Chief Brett Ogino and Sicamous firefighter Jason Reid are currently helping fight wildfires near 100 Mile House.                                Photo contributed
Ranchero-Deep Creek firefighter Ian Webster, Scotch Creek Fire Chief Mike Engholm, Salmon Arm firefighter Carmen Guidos, Sicamous Fire Chief Brett Ogino and Sicamous firefighter Jason Reid are currently helping fight wildfires near 100 Mile House. Photo contributed
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Carmen Guidos photo Smoke fills the sky as a wildfire burns near 100 Mile House.