THORHILD COUNTY, Alta. – Water bombers and helicopters towing buckets roared overhead and plumes of smoke rose from the forest bordering Gladys Wachowich’s home and farmland as a massive brush fire in Thorhild County continued to blaze out of control Saturday.
“It’s like a war zone,” said Wachowich, as she watched the scene while standing on a pile of charred wood that used to be one of her barns. High winds caused sparks from the fire to fly through the air and land on the cedar roof shingles of two of her barns Thursday. She watched them burn to the ground in a matter of minutes.
Wachowich is grateful to the firefighters who protected her home and other outbuildings. She got all her horses and other animals out in time, except for one cat.
One of her neighbours wasn’t so fortunate; his house burned to the ground, she said.
“You very quickly put things into perspective and this isn’t critical. I still have a house to live in,” Wachowich said.
A group of firefighters have camped out next to Wachowich’s home, as strong winds could easily put her property at risk again as the fire rages.
“The danger is not over yet,” she said.
The fire has spread to 2,200 hectares of grass, brush and forest since it started Wednesday. Firefighters set up fire guards around at-risk homes and structures Wednesday and Thursday.
The blaze didn’t grow any bigger overnight Friday and was completely surrounded by Saturday afternoon, but was still considered out of control, said Brydon Ward, a spokesman for Alberta Sustainable Resource Development.
The fire will be declared under control only when there are no hot spots within 30 metres of the perimeter, Ward said.
High temperatures, low humidity and wind have created a difficult job for the 168 firefighters on scene, he said.
“We don’t expect to get a handle on it in the near future,” Ward said.
If there’s any good luck on Thorhild County’s side, it’s that the fire is basically the only one in the province right now, so almost all available resources can be used to fight it. There are also 12 bulldozers and six helicopters fighting the blaze, and several dozen local volunteer firefighters, whose help is invaluable, Ward said.
Many volunteers and firefighters are working on just three or four hours of sleep a night, said Thorhild County’s Charles Newell. Mornings start at 5 a.m. with breakfast in the Thorhild arena, and end with dinner in the arena at 9 p.m.
“It’s the volunteers that have really come to the fore on this. These guys aren’t getting a cent and they’re really working for their community,” Ward said.
“These are people that could be seeding today rather than fighting a fire, but they’re right out there.”
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