'Our house could have been saved': Buildings not protected in fire-ravaged Pressy Lake, B.C.
Pressy Lake residents learn of wildfire response after filing Freedom of Information requests
Four days before the Elephant Hill wildfire ravaged Pressy Lake, B.C., fire officials had assessed structures in and around town and opted not to set up protection.
That decision is now haunting the community's residents after the wildfire unexpectedly entered the town — 60 kilometres southeast of 100 Mile House — on Aug. 12 and burned 33 homes to the ground
"If someone had been there with a hose or sprinkler protection had been there, I think our house could have been saved," Lorne Smith told host Sarah Penton on CBC's Radio West.
Residents learned of firefighters' efforts in Pressy Lake in a Sept. 29 letter from the B.C. Wildfire Service in response to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.
- Residents who lost homes in wildfires want answers, told to file FOI request
- Wildfire-ravaged Pressy Lake residents ask whether officials did enough to save homes
'We think somebody messed up'
Rob Schweitzer of the B.C. Wildfire Service said strong winds allowed the fire to advance 15 kilometres toward Pressy Lake between Aug. 11 and 12.
By the time the fire breached Pressy Lake, crews weren't able to safely set up equipment, Schweitzer said.
Once the area was deemed safe, officials patrolled the area and extinguished hot spots, he said.
Smith said residents were grateful for the firefighting response on the ground. "But we think somebody messed up that was higher up."
"It did exactly what we thought. It was coming up northeast of Clinton and it hit us," he added.
"They had two weeks to set up to do that. And they didn't."
The B.C. Wildfire Service declined to comment.
More documents to come
Citizens' Services Minister Jinny Sims said the government is expediting FOI requests about the Pressy Lake response.
"We understand that those who have suffered devastating losses ... may need access to information as soon as possible in order to rebuild," she wrote in a letter to local MLAs John Rustad and Jackie Tegart.
Tegart told Radio West last week that basic reports about the wildfire response "should be public information."
Smith said residents feel forgotten, but are trying to move forward.
"I don't want to be consumed by the anger or the frustration of our home not being saved. I just want to know the answers."
Read the documents obtained through FOI requests:
With files from CBC's Radio West