The 650 hectare fire to the west of Harrison Lake has grown steadily this week, with high winds and hilly terrain frustrating the over 100 firefighters who have been battling the blaze.
READ MORE: Fire near Harrison Lake swells up to 650 hecatres in size
However, crews were fortunate in that it hadn’t threatened any buildings – until Wednesday.
The Harrison Fire Tower, adjacent to Long Island and perched on top of a small mountain, was threatened as the fire moved up the small mountain on three sides.
“It’s a fire tower of historical significance to the area. Folks going back quite some decades have worked and stayed in the tower,” said Alistair Drayton, Wood Lake Incident Commander.
Once the wildfire centre’s only eyes over the region, it was eventually supplanted by lightning trackers and mobile technology.
But while it has been obsolete for some time, it has served as a surprise lookout post for curious hikers – and on Wednesday, a point of morale.
Planes doused the structure and surrounding forest with retardant, and it appears, for now, that the lookout tower has been saved.
“It was in the line of the fire, but the retardant seems to have done the job,” said Drayton.
“It’s a good news story from a bad fire.”
– With files from John Hua
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