Canadian fires still raging

[John Eacott]

We've been getting a little news here in Oz, but reports suggest the worst fires in 50 years in BC. Latest article here (http://www.canada.com/national/story.asp?id=29C80E38-2216-41E6-BDDE-249691F891EE) , do we have any North American PPruners who can keep us up to date?

[paco]

I'm making my way slowly across the country from Ontario to Alberta right now, but I'm sure it will be BC next :)

As I left Ontarios a week ago, there were 44 new fires that day in Alberta, and 328 current ones in BC, with the worst being near Kamloops as you can probably see on thenews. Some provinces are hiding their machines as they know that once they are gone, they won't get them back!

Phil

[KENNYR]

I will attempt to keep you all up to date with the situation in BC.
I work 10 - 12 hour days so it could take me a while to catch up with the news.

It is believed that these are the worst fires in memory.

Kamloops is getting hammered and every province in Canada is sending 100's of fire-fighters to BC to assist the battered crews already there.

[KENNYR]

OK, here goes...............There are two main fires. There is one in British Columbia near the town of Barriere and is aptly called the "Barriere " fire. This fire is still out of control and as of supper time today has consumed 16,000 hectares. The residents of the town are not allowed to return to check on their properties and are being told by "safety staff?" whether their homes stand or are destroyed. The media is not even allowed into the area.

There is a smaller fire which is for the most part under control at Strawberry Hill, near Kamloops.

The other major fire is in Alberta and is called the Crowsnest Pass fire. To date the fire is mostly under control but it is still dangerous because of the tinder-dry conditions and strong winds.
So far the fire has consumed 19,000 hectares.

Every flying machine that can hold or sling water is currently being employed in BC and Alberta. They even took some huge water-bombers out of retirement.............Goodnight.

[wde]

Here are some links on the BC and Alberta Fires. I will post more information tomorrow when I get a chance....

BC Ministry of Forests: http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/protect/Maps/Danger_Rating.htm

The Vancouver Province Newspaper: http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/

The Vancouver Sun newspaper: http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/

GOES-10 Interactive 1 km Visible Weather Satellite Image http://wwwghcc.msfc.nasa.gov/GOES/goeswestpacus.html

The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) provides operational fire-control services, as well as management and information services to its Member Agencies. In addition to coordinating services for all of the provinces and territories, CIFFC often coordinates the sharing of resources with the United States and other countries. http://www.ciffc.ca/

Canadian National Forest Fire Situation Report
http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/cfs-scf/science/prodserv/firereport/firereport_e.html

The area of Fires now burning in BC is greater than the area of the Metro area of Toronto...

[Heliport]

http://www.kfhs.org/images/kamloops.gif

Barrierre (not shown on map) is 40 miles North of Kamloops.


Forestry officials released this thermal image Sunday of a 34-square-kilometre fire burning just north of Kamloops, B.C., near Rayleigh, visible in upper left. It is the closest to Kamloops of three fires in the area.

http://media.canada.com/scripts/locate.asp?id=0fff040e-8a8f-4b6f-92f8-c102f8201997

[John Eacott]

Getting closer to the ski fields, Big White is down toward Kelowna, south of Kamloops on that map :(

[Aussierotor]

Son just back from Kamloops.
when i was there in 74,we got taken out of work to fight a fire in the Ashcroft area.Lucky it was only a small one which the water bombers had put out.Our main task was for flare-ups.
Another fire not far away and witnessed by my workmates,saw a DC6 (i think) crash killing its crew.

Someone may have been telling me stories ,but was told even if your driving to your own wedding,if they stop you on the road ,thats it ,you go firefighting.At least they paid you.

Know people north of Kamloops in the timber carting as well.

Its damn beautiful over there and its a crying shame ,but unfortunately these things happen.
Trees will grow again ,but the loss to the people affected cant be descibed.

[heedm]

Aussierotor, you're right on all points. I stopped my car to help with a small grass fire and was told that if I didn't volunteer, then I could be "voulun-told". They're polite about it. Normally pick up underemployed people to earn the cash first. I don't think I'd feel right getting married knowing that I could be saving someone's home and possessions. Mind you, could depend on who I was marrying. :D

There was a large water bomber crash this year. Not sure if that's the one you mentioned. It was an Electra. Details are here http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2003/07/16/137586-cp.html . Unfortunately, neither of the pilots survived.

[Dave_Jackson]

Aussierotor

Many moons ago while thumbing from Sydney to Melbourne, someone 'drafted' me into fighting a forest fire. The only memory is that of bunch of us jumping on the roof rack of a moving Holden and flying down a dirt road with flames on both sides. We left some guy back there standing on his roof with a lawn hose.

Oh! One other memory. The wallet wasn't any thicker afterwards. :D

[Aussierotor]

HEEDM

I think many have crashed but the one im thinking about was back in 1974 (geez that long ago).
They found an extra body------apparently a hitch-hiker along for the ride.

Actually it was a rewarding day money wise ,Was on 4-midnight shift in the mine and got called away at 6pm.Never got back to 8pm the following night and the cheeky boss wanted to know if i wanted to work the last 4 hours of shift.No way ,went to the pub and got horribly legless.
Thinking we would only get fire fighting wage ,was astounded to see our normal wage and with 28 hours ,overtime rates included,nearly paid for my hangover lol.


DAVE

It can get bl@@dy scarey alright .Lucky it was a Holden or you may have got your @rse burnt.
I like sitting by a fire at ground level having a beer but not when flames are 100ft high and going like the clappers.

[Heliport]

CBC Report Helicopter pilot dies fighting B.C. wildfires

KAMLOOPS, B.C. - Emergency crews in the British Columbia Interior plan to find a way through raging wildfires on Monday to reach a helicopter that crashed on Sunday afternoon.

The pilot of the helicopter, whose name hasn't been released by police, was killed in the crash 80 kilometres east of 100 Mile House.
The Bell 205 chopper owned by Gemini Helicopters in Alberta was fighting the Bonaparte Lake fire, north of Kamloops. It crashed shortly after taking off.

Nearly 900 fires were burning in the province by Monday.

The McGillivray fire grew to 20 square kilometres by Sunday afternoon forcing about 500 people to flee their homes in Chase, about 50 kilometres east of Kamloops.

Fire information officer Jim McBride said the fire could threaten all the homes in Chase, a town of about 2,600.

Elsewhere, about 450 people were allowed to return to their homes north of Barriere on Sunday, but were told an evacuation alert is still in effect.

The McLure-Barriere fire was about 40 per cent contained, B.C. Fire Service officials said on Sunday. The fire has grown to about 220 square kilometres. Nearly 900 people remain out of their homes. The fires have been burning in the Interior for weeks, fueled by tinder dry forests and hot dry weather.

100 Mile House is located at mile 100 on the "Old Cariboo Gold Rush Trail", South Cariboo in the Province of British Columbia.


excerpt from Canada.com report A Mission pilot died Sunday when the helicopter he was flying crashed while fighting raging forest fires in the B.C. Interior -- the first fatality among those fighting the blaze.

The helicopter went down about 11 a.m. near Bonaparte Lake, north of Kamloops, after lifting off from a staging area with a long line and bucket.

"Witnesses saw it take off and then saw the helicopter bank quite rapidly. They lost sight of it along the horizon and heard an explosion," said RCMP spokesman Corporal Pierre Lemaitre.

The name of the pilot has not been released as police have not yet been able to notify his next of kin. Police have also not been able to determine the pilot's age.

Lemaitre said police and rescue officials tried to reach the downed helicopter, but the fires in the area made recovering the pilot's body impossible.

"Given the conditions, it was impossible to get close to the helicopter," he said. "We'll get a little closer in the morning."

The privately owned helicopter was on contract to fight forest fires. The copter, a Bell 205, was owned by Gemini Helicopters of Alberta.

The pilot's death is being investigated by the Clinton RCMP detachment, the B.C. coroner's service, the ministry of forestry and the ministry of transportation.

[Cyclic Hotline]

Sad news indeed. According to this story (http://www.canoe.ca/EdmontonNews/es.es-08-18-0005.html), excerpted below, it was actually a Bell 204B, which matches the operators listed aircraft fleet.


Firefighting chopper crashes

Pilot dies aboard Alberta firm's helicopter

By DAN PALMER, EDMONTON SUN


One person is dead after a helicopter operated by an Alberta company crashed at a landing pad yesterday as it was fighting a raging British Columbia forest fire, say authorities.

"There was only one person on board, and that person is deceased," said Capt. James Pierotti of the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria.

Pierotti didn't know the gender of the person on board.

Gemini Helicopters - which operated the chopper and has a head office in Grande Prairie, 456 km northwest of Edmonton - wouldn't comment about who was on board or if anyone was deceased.

Gemini Helicopters spokesman David Steer told The Sun that the Bell 204 helicopter crashed around 11:15 a.m. B.C. time at a heli-pad near Bonaparte Lake, about 80 km southeast of 100 Mile House.

The crash happened as the helicopter was preparing to get a bucket of water, said Steer.

The chopper was fighting the Bonaparte Lake fire, north of Kamloops.

[imabell]

the pilot of the204 was a canadian engineer pilot who spent some time in australia last season and was coming back in september for the fire season here. he was a teriffic fellow and was to be married very soon.

very sad day.

[Heliport]

Sad news indeed.

The fires in BC are still raging. Most of these photos are from the Kamloops area.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/indepth/fightingfires/gfx/fire_main.jpghttp://images.theglobeandmail.com/archives/RTGAM/images/20030817/walta0816a/kamfire.jpg

http://www.spca.bc.ca/media/KamloopsFire_August2003/fire_pic1b.jpg

http://www.spca.bc.ca/media/KamloopsFire_August2003/fire_pic2b.jpg

http://www.spca.bc.ca/media/KamloopsFire_August2003/7b.jpg

http://www.spca.bc.ca/media/KamloopsFire_August2003/6b.jpg

[Cyclic Hotline]

Very sad news. Condolences to the family and colleagues.

Full story (http://www.canada.com/vancouver/news/story.asp?id=4AFBFA03-8C20-437D-9A7B-8B5D6C2117CF)

Pilot was planning move to Australia
Blaze surrounds site of Bonaparte Lake helicopter crash

Christina Toth
CanWest News Service

Helicopter pilot Ben von Hardenberg, 33, of Mission, shown in a family photo, died Sunday while fighting a forest fire near 100 Mile House. He was working his last of five days on contract to a private company.

A 33-year-old Mission helicopter pilot who died Sunday while fighting a forest fire near 100 Mile House was getting ready to marry and start a new career in Australia next month.

Ben von Hardenberg was piloting a Bell helicopter when it crashed about 11 a.m. Sunday near the Bonaparte Lake fire, 80 kilometres east of 100 Mile House, RCMP media liaison officer Corporal Pierre Lemaitre said.

"Witnesses tell us that they saw the helicopter bank and attempt to come back to the staging area and they lost sight of him on the horizon and then saw smoke," said Lemaitre.

Clinton RCMP officers attempted to get to the crash site but the area was engulfed in flames. Efforts to retrieve von Hardenberg's body continued Monday.

Sunday was the last day of a five-day stint van Hardenberg was contracted to fly for Gemini Helicopters of Grande Prairie, his older brother Konrad said.

"When it comes to fire season, the pilots go wherever the need is greatest. Ben had just finished a tour in Saskatchewan and in Ontario, then he had five days there. Sunday was his last day," said von Hardenberg.

Ben was preparing to be married in two weeks and to move to Australia next month, said his brother.

The youngest of six boys, Ben grew up on his parents' Dewdney dairy farm and went to school at Dewdney elementary and Hatzic secondary schools.

His introduction to helicopters came when a pilot was practising in the dairy pastures.

His brother Fred went for a ride, was smitten and became a pilot. Ben followed suit, taking his first instruction at the Abbotsford-based flight school Chinook Helicopters.

He had booked time there Monday to take his night-flying certificate for small craft, a requirement for his upcoming job as a base manager north of Brisbane, Australia.

"He was a very successful and excellent pilot," said Cathy Press, an owner and instructor at Chinook.

"Everybody here is really shocked. He was a very nice guy," she said.

Ben had worked for TransWest Helicopters in Chilliwack but in the past year flew on a contract basis for various companies, said Konrad.

He had also worked as a heli-logging pilot.

[paco]

Oh well, goodbye Ben - but I believe you're in a better place anyhow (bumped into him at Fire 57 in Ignace, then at Sioux Lookout - nice guy, and news I could do without).

Phil

[Heliport]

http://www.thestar.com/images/thestar/img/030823_fires1_250.jpg http://www.thestar.com/images/thestar/img/030824_kelowna_fire_250.jpg http://images.theglobeandmail.com/archives/RTGAM/images/20030824/wfire0824_3a/watchfire.jpg

The relentless Okanagan Mountain Park fire has forced thousands from their homes. With more dry, windy weather in the forecast, officals see no relief for firefighters or residents.


KELOWNA, B.C. - Fires raged within 15 kilometres of the centre of this B.C. city of 100,000 Saturday after eating through at least six suburbs and destroying more than 200 homes.

Kelowna is now a city under siege. About 30,000 people, nearly one-third of the population, have been forced out of their homes as exhausted firefighters -- some of whom had lost their own homes -- battle the out-of-control blazes.

"The homes aren't half down," fire chief Gerry Zimmermann said Saturday. "They're flat. They're either standing or they're flat.

"(Friday) night was probably the roughest night in Kelowna firefighting history," Zimmermann said. "We got hammered pretty good. The losses are staggering."

[Heliport]

Banff Crag & Canyon online

A modified Chinook helicopter has been called in by Parks Canada to help fight forest fires in the area and according to a spokesperson for Columbia Helicopters, there’s no better firefighting machine.

http://images.bowesonline.com/edopt/65/story/3246-0.jpg

Full story here. (http://www.banffcragnewspaper.com/story.php?id=72253)

[Huron Topp]

http://www.castanet.net/firepics/

Incredible pics at this link. Day to day coverage including air assets.

[Heliport]

Fashioned of yellow-painted planks arranged on a hillside adjacent to a home on the outskirts of Barriere - "THANX" and a happy smiley to helicopter pilots fighting the fires which have devastated the area.

http://www.mytelus.com/news_images/BCNG_BARRIERE/original/Tim_s_Thanx.JPG.jpg

[Heliport]

Globe and Mail report Historic bridges lost to Kelowna fire

http://images.theglobeandmail.com/archives/RTGAM/images/20030904/wfire0904_4/904kett2o2.jpg
A sky crane helicopter drops a load of fire retardant on a Kettle Valley Railway Bridge in Kelwona, B.C.

The stubborn Okanagan Mountain Park blaze has claimed at least two historic railway trestle bridges near Kelowna on a popular hiking trail, and damaged two others, fire officials said Thursday.

Driven by rising winds, the fire grew by 17 square kilometres overnight to a total of 228 square kilometres and forecasts called for winds of up to 35 kilometres an hour for Thursday afternoon.

Since Wednesday evening, firefighters had been working to keep the fire away from the 90-year-old Kettle Valley railway line running through Myra Canyon.

But by Thursday afternoon, at least two of the 16 bridges were lost, Carol Suhan, an information officer with the emergency operations centre in Kelowna, told globeandmail.com. Firefighters aren't optimistic they will be able to save many of the remaining trestles, she added.

For full story, click here. (http://www.globeandmail.ca/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030904.wfire0904_4/BNStory/National/)

[407 Driver]

It's been very hot and windy for the past few days, Fire conditions have actually taking a turn for the worse rather than getting any significant break from the September weather. The forecast does show some signs of hope for the latter part of the weekend. A lot of the fires have taken new runs, as noted in the news article above.

One of many trestles on the Kettle Valley Railroad, this historic structure may have been one of the five trestles lost to the fires to date....
http://members.rogers.com/kettlevalley/images/today/trestle.jpg