100 Mile House ready if wildfires force evacuations, learning from past experiences: mayor
Posted July 15, 2021 12:27 pm.
Last Updated July 15, 2021 12:30 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
100 MILE HOUSE (NEWS 1130) – As wildfires force evacuations in parts of B.C., many communities, such as 100 Mile House, are preparing for the possibility they may have to leave at a moment’s notice.
Mayor Mitch Campsall says the people in his town are no strangers to wildfire season. The community was hit by evacuations in 2017 and 2018, and is now on alert due to approaching flames.
“Right now we’ve got evacuations all around us,” Campsall told NEWS 1130. “We’ve gone through some of this before in 2017. People are prepared, a lot more positive than they were last time.”
He says everyone’s working together to ensure people are prepared.
“It’s never calm during a fire situation, but we’ve got great firefighters here. I look at it this way: our community got expanded again throughout the province because we’ve got volunteer fire departments from all over the province up helping, we’ve got RCMP members from all over the province up here helping, we’ve got forest firefighters up from all over the province. It’s been incredible to watch how everything’s going.”
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Campsall admits there are always worries this time of year, especially with fires getting so close. However, he notes most residents have go bags ready should they need to make any quick moves.
He says locals are understanding of the situation, adding more and more people are realizing the importance of being one step ahead.
The 100 Mile House community has been impacted by wildfires before. With each difficult situation, Campsall says the community comes out stronger.
“You’ve got to look at what we’ve gone through in the last five years and we’re still standing,” he said. “In 2017 and 2018, 2019, we had mill closures, then we went straight into COVID-19 and now we’re still in COVID-19 and back into the fires. I would say resilience is an understatement for our community.”
Campsall says he’s trying to stay positive, despite the threat of fire. He tells NEWS 1130 much of his community is also trying to keep spirits high.
“It’s pretty hard to get down in the dumps when you’ve got a community that is so positive,” the mayor explained.
There are around 300 wildfires currently burning across the province, with nearly 20 being sparked in just the last two days. Dry and hot conditions have challenged fire fighting efforts.
With many ranches and farms in the 100 Mile area, Campsall says everyone has drawn upon past experiences to make preparations this year. He says it’s also a help that it’s “all hands on deck.”
“That’s why being from 100 Mile, it’s very easy to be in a positive. Yeah, we are worried, we are concerned, but when you see what’s going on, you can’t help but be positive,” he added.
He’s echoing calls for the province to declare a state of emergency, saying “this isn’t going away” any time soon.
