‘It grew incredibly quickly’; Logan Lake residents describe fast-spreading fire sparked Wednesday

Firefighters worked through the night on the Guichon Creek fire near Logan Lake, which caused some panic for local residents.

The fire is an estimated 88 hectares in size and the BC Wildfire Service said it is burning Rank 2 and 3 Thursday (July 30) morning, meaning a surface fire with some open flame, occasional candling and a slow-to-moderate rate of spread.

That is down from the Rank 3 and 4 behaviour reported Wednesday, not long after the fire was sparked. The BC Wildfire Service deployed a team of skimmers and air tankers dropping water and retardant, as well as 24 firefighters.

“[Wednesday], we assisted Logan Lake Fire Department with ground and aerial resources,” the BC Wildfire Service said in a statement. “Overnight, personnel remained on site with heavy equipment building guard and working on containment.”

“I like seeing the guys work. Terrifying to see the fire,” Logan Lake resident Chris Maude told CFJC Today. “Every bucket of water that goes on there makes me feel very, very happy.”

Chris and his wife, Pamela, were joined by several other Logan Lakers who gathered to watch the frantic fire fight about two kilometres west of the community.

“It started so small and it grew incredibly quickly,” Maude added. “We sat here and watched it jump the highway up toward the transfer station and it was terrifying how quickly it can move.”

“It brings back too many memories from the fire back in 2021,” added Rebecca Fox. “It’s hard to explain the feeling that you get seeing the fires around. It’s scary. It’s unbelievable how fast they got planes on it, so it’s incredible what they’re doing.”

Logan Lake Fire Rescue also responded to the blaze, which led to a brief closure on Highway 97C between the community and the Highland Valley Copper Mine.

“So that was a day,” Logan Lake Fire Rescue said in a post on Facebook. “The fire is still very active and Logan Lake Fire Rescue has a team all night watching as well as BC wildland crews.”

While no structures were being immediately threatened, the fire did prompt parallel evacuation alerts affecting about 56 properties in the District of Logan Lake and the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.

“We ran home and started throwing stuff in suitcases at one point, and you go, ‘What do you take? What do you leave?’” Maude said.

Brad Painter and his family were also watching the flames in Logan Lake. The family was evacuated from Clinton last Friday and initially fled to Loon Lake, then Kamloops and finally made their way to Logan Lake.

“We just unpacked last night,” Painter told CFJC Today. “We’re staying with friends and all of a sudden, we’re now packing very fast. We’re just kind of nervous that everything is coming too hot and too fast, so we’re being ready for whatever happens next.”

Painter said his family didn’t see a whole of destruction in Clinton as they left right away when the order was issued. However, he added he’s aware of “a lot of losses” in the community.

“The whole town is not in great shape to be honest, but a lot of people got lucky,” Painter said. “Happy to say there are no fatalities that I’ve heard of.”

The Guichon Creek fire is believed to be human-caused, but the BC Wildfire Service has not narrowed down a more specific cause yet.

“God, why can’t we be more careful?” Maude said. “Don’t throw you cigarettes on the ground, don’t throw your bottles out in the woods. They’ve had campfire bans and yet they gave out how many tickets over the weekend?“

“Be smart. You may not live here, but we do.”