After the crazy summer of fire last year, we didn't think it could happen again to the same degree.... we were wrong! As of today, Aug 29/2018, we have just surpassed last years' record of 1.2 million hectares, and counting.
We have had a few scares, with several fires burning pretty close to us at Green Lake, and were put on evacuation alert once for a few weeks. But the weather cooperated and the wind and temperatures helped keep us out of harms way.
Still, we were blanketed with heavy smoke (as was much of the rest of the province) for many days, to the point of going way beyond what health officials would call 'extremely bad air quality". It was necessary to curtail most outdoor activities, such as the fire-smarting we were doing around our property - limbing up all our trees, raking the duff off the ground, and many trips to the dump.
Right at the peak of the smoke, due to one of the fires that burned fairly close to us (6 kms away), I was called out with our fire department (I joined up in the spring), as we had to deliver the evacuation alert door to door along the South side of the lake. Normally the RCMP cover this, but they were short-handed at the time. Hours later I developed a horrible cough from breathing the smoke all night, as did many people. Hopefully this is not the "new normal" they say it will be!
The beginning of the Sodium Lake Fire, later renamed to Twin Creek Fire
Across the lake from us, the Wild Goose Fire begins...
Smoke and more smoke.
