Marta Ram was one of the campers forced to evacuate Birkenhead Lake park on the afternoon of Thursday, Aug. 8 due to the wildfire in the area. She had been enjoying a few days of camping with her daughter, her friend, and her family when disaster struck.
The Birkenhead Lake fire has grown to 706 hectares according to the latest update from BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) at 8:48 p.m yesterday, Aug. 15. The fire was estimated to be 558 hectares yesterday morning. An evacuation alert is now in place for 28 properties near the “out of control” fire.
Ram’s group noticed a strong wind, rain and thunder when first setting up camp on Monday, Aug. 5. This storm served as the catalyst for the largest wildfire in the Pemberton Fire Zone. It was only after unpacking that Ram spotted the large flames atop the mountain for the first time. “The storm stopped, and a neighbour told us to watch on top of the mountain,” she said. “Smoke started after the lightning.”
Ram watched firefighting efforts from Tuesday morning onwards. “Five aeroplanes and three helicopters were fighting the fire non-stop,” she said. A park ranger told campers on Thursday to leave for their own safety as the fire was growing. “On Wednesday night, the fire was intense at the top and we had to leave on Thursday afternoon. We never smelled smoke because the wind was blowing it North. So many trees were falling down. It was very sad.”
As the blaze became more threatening, the Vancouver resident started to make a plan for leaving. She was concerned that the call to evacuate the park could come in the middle of the night. The children immediately shared their own worries about the burning trees and the bears that live in the park.
Ram said that the group were all ready to leave when the call came. By 6pm on Thursday, all campers had left the site. “People were calm and respectful,” she said. “We were sad but we totally understood the situation and were ready.”
The chair of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD), Jen Ford urged residents on evacuation alert to also be ready to flee on a moment’s notice. “An alert means being ready to leave at a moment’s notice,” she said. “It means having your go bag packed and have an evacuation plan confirmed with the people in your vicinity.”
