Anyone heard from Section8

[Juskatla]

Lots of new forest fires burning in the interior of British Columbia. Most started by lightening strikes and several hundred more in the last 24 hours. So far lots of property lost but no lives. Many communities evacuated, including Little Fort where Section8 lives. Just wondering how they are dong there and if he and his are safe.

 

[m1010plowboy]

I tried dialing a while ago, no answer yet. We'll keep knocking!

 

[Section8]

Cough, cough, cough!
Still alive and kicking.
Quick run down....
Fires started July 7th at around 4pm after a brief intense lightning storm.
(Hopefully my pictures will load)
My family and I started getting ready for the evacuations right away since we knew there wouldn't be much in the way of fire fighting going on at first.
Hauled all of our livestock and important personal stuff out that first night to the next town south, called Barriere. Finished by 348am Saturday morning.
Up again and going by 8am and hauled the mother in-laws livestock down south to us as well as some friends or anyone else in need of help.
The place we are at is the Barriere North Thompson Agriplex and Fair grounds. We have all of our livestock in the rodeo stocks and pens right beside our camper.
Sunday we again were helping people set up and move also getting the logging equipment that is on my homestead prepped for transport to help with creating fire access and making fire breaks.
Have had a report today, since I have to be working at the lumber mill in Barriere , that there was a small spot fire that sprang up on my ranch behind the steel barns where are hay is kept. Thankfully the local fire crew was on it right away and it was put out before things got out of hand.
For now all is well heavy smoke in the air, more communities being evacuated. Which if they come this way is now my wife's responsibility to organise where animals go and supplies for these animals as well and getting people situated here. God bless her for her strong will and caring heart. The people here were lost at first until my wife stepped up. Now it is her show and everyone does as asked and as needed and then some.
Will our farm make it out of this with out a scar or worse I don't know.
If I lose my M135 to the fire I will be terribly disappointed. I was about to pay for a new clutch for it and try to get the old girl mobile this year.
Sigh.
At least I have my family and our most prized possessions of family photos and a few other trinkets per family members.
Thank you Juskatla, Tracer, and Plowboy, for thinking of me and my family. We will see what the fires leave behind for us. For now it is 6 people to a 24 foot camper and a whole bunch of animals in organised chaos.

If the photos show up they were taken with in an hour of their starting.

 

[m1010plowboy]

We see and smell your smoke signals. Good to read you buddy! PM me a better contact number. I lit up your house phone so you'll have weird text to landline garbo to listen to when you get home.

That extra logging around your place seems like a good idea now. Looks like you've got both Thuya Lake road and Boulder mountain lit up so fire to the South and East. They haven't changed the Thuya status yet, still sitting at 500 ha so it's not bigger than yesterday. You're also seeing 30 degrees and 30% humidity, which needs to be much better before we can relax. We need a big kick in the low pressure pants before there is any reprieve so hang in there. This map is showing a slight push from the North West so it should push the fires south east, away from you. https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/850hPa/orthographic=-112.22,48.40,1892

I wish there was rain in the forecast for you. Even the coast looks dry for the next 7 days so it's going to be a ride.

This map will change and it's slow to load but here's the current B.C. info http://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/dmf-viewer/?siteid=5131184402955244847

The map comes from the news update page """"The map is accurate as of 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 11, although the wildfire situation may change at any time. The larger flames on the map are considered “wildfires of note.”""" http://globalnews.ca/news/3585284/b...nt-location-of-wildfires-around-the-province/

Over 225 separate fires burning and a pile of new starts on the S.E. side of the province.

The family is up in Quesnel watching so if you need a place north, they have a river.

Since Modis satellite went up we can watch things a little closer so here's some more fancy reading material and a video to keep you busy while you're awake.

10 years of global fire video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eET7jwJOOqA

The U.S. fire status

Active fire status U.S. https://fsapps.nwcg.gov/

More access to MODIS https://lance.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/firemaps/

https://earthdata.nasa.gov/earth-observation-data/near-real-time/firms/active-fire-data

 

[Juskatla]

Section8, Glad to hear that you made it down to Barriere safely and are able to move your livestock to a safer place. We'll all keep our fingers crossed for you and all those who's homes and livelihood and in harms way. Mother Nature doesn't play fair. When the fires some years ago got Louis Creek and almost Barriere, I was working in a corporate emergency control centre in the LML. That was a wild year and this summer with so many fires started by lightening in just a few days will be a record. We send our prayers to all of you for your safety and early return home.

 

[Section8]

Thank you for the crossed fingers and prayers everyone!
It must have worked!
The fire have moved off from near my ranch and the community of Little Fort. The only thing that happened my way, Was the spot fire that somehow started behind the steel barn.
The unfortunate thing is that many have not been so lucky. One of the largest fires burning in B.C. which is around the Cache Creek and Ashcroft towns hit some smaller communities pretty hard. Quite a few homes were taken by the fire in one little community in particular called Loon lake.
My family and I just got back to our ranch on Monday. Spent two weeks on evacuation and all of that time helping and sheltering many communities livestock coming into the Agriplex from their own evacuations, as far as Prince George.
We have yet to bring most of our livestock home but by weeks end should be done.
For now we are all safe here at the ranch.
The fires are not out but highly unlikely to come back our way.
Once again thank you all for your thoughts and well wishes.