When Shawn Cahill returned to Loon Lake to survey the damage his cabin sustained from the Elephant Hill wildfire, the 91原创 man was shocked to see the green and white building sitting untouched amidst the forest of charred trees.
The cabin directly west of his was reduced to an ashy rubble, and the ones on the point to the east were completely incinerated. The neighbour鈥檚 house beside him on the east, however, also managed to escape the flames.
Cahill was in 鈥渄isbelief.鈥�
鈥淲e saw it burn,鈥� said Cahill, a Township of 91原创 firefighter at Murrayville Hall 6. 鈥淢y good buddy up there 鈥� actually said to me, 鈥業 will, till the end of my days, envision your cabin burning. I saw it.鈥�
鈥淚 had gone up and watered my neighbour鈥檚 and my place, and exactly where I watered, the fire didn鈥檛 come in anywhere. It was unbelievable. It was like a perfect tracing of the waterline. It was unreal.鈥�
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On July 14, Cahill and a small group of firefighter friends drove up to Loon Lake, located about 40 minutes north of Cache Creek, after hearing that the fire, orignally dubbed the Ashcroft reserve wildfire, was inching closer to their summer homes.
They watered their cabins, removed flammables, and travelled to the opposite side of the lake to help other residents protect their properties. When the group was finally forced to evacuate, Cahill said he saw his neighbour鈥檚 cabin on fire, and an orange glow surrounding his.
鈥淚 know I said before that I gave a five per cent chance of hope of seeing my cabin, but in reality, honestly, I saw the whole point burn, so I wasn鈥檛 holding much of anything.鈥�
His first glimmer of hope came after someone from the Thompson Nicola Regional District posted a picture online of the Marigold Fishing Resort, located across the lake from his place. In the very faint distance, he could see the white outline of the trim on his cabin, but he assumed it was an old photo.
鈥淲e went up there and it was sitting there, it was unbelievable 鈥� I will always see my neighbour鈥檚 cabin glowing orange. And it was fine, too. But that whole bank, the whole side of that lake was just orange, it was a big ball of fire. It was pretty wild.鈥�
Over the past month, Cahill has returned to Loon Lake many times to help the local fire department. Their firefighters have to be given a three-day break every two weeks, so on his days off, Cahill and a number of other Fraser Valley firefighters have volunteered to relieve them.
There are a number of hot spots and grass fires still being put out every day.
鈥淲hen I left yesterday (Aug. 16), it was actually the calmest I鈥檝e seen it,鈥� Cahill said.
鈥淪till very smoky, but yeah it鈥檚 going to be burning until the snowfall puts it out. It鈥檚 burning very hot, and it鈥檚 burning very deep. There during the day there鈥檒l be nothing, and all of a sudden you look and there鈥檒l be a tree candling because it鈥檚 been underground, working its way up a tree. It will be a long time before it all cools right down.鈥�
Cahill says the team has been working very hard, and since the fire burned through the power lines, they鈥檝e been voluntarily taking out fridges from the homes still standing to ensure they don鈥檛 become rancid with rotting food.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of loss, a lot of loss. And the animals, their forest is gone. So when you go up there now, you have to really watch where you鈥檙e driving. This last trip I saw a badger, a cougar, a bear, we saw lots of deer with fawns. They鈥檙e bringing their fawns in to eat, you name it.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of things involved that you don鈥檛 think about.鈥�
According to a issued by the Loon Lake volunteer fire department society on Aug. 11, the wildfire, which originated in Ashcroft, travelled up the entire 15 km length of Loon Lake in just eight hours. There were 376 properties evacuated, and 60 structures destroyed, including their fire hall.
鈥淎s much as it鈥檚 a happy ending for me, it鈥檚 not going to be a happy ending for a lot of people,鈥� said Cahill.
鈥�(For many) people, that鈥檚 their getaway, that鈥檚 where they go to recharge, they鈥檝e been doing it for 40 years and it鈥檚 just been taken away from them. I feel bad for them. But we鈥檒l help them rebuild. It鈥檚 going to be a big community effort.鈥�
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