As of Thursday the Wildwood/Williams Lake Airport fire remains an estimated 2,500 hectares and is 40 per cent contained.
Crews continue to battle the blaze with 82 firefighters, 17 pieces of equipment, air support, line locators and support staff.
The Wildwood Volunteer Fire Department has been part of that effort.
Fire chief Randy Worsley said the fire hall first began receiving calls about a fire in the area on Friday afternoon.
“From the fire hall we were watching trying to figure out where the fire was,” he said. “We could see lightning strikes go down the valley and within minutes there was a giant plume of smoke.”
They responded immediately with engines, tenders, portable water tanks, and a 14-member crew.
The fire started at the back of Pacific Road in Wildwood and actually came as close as 20 feet to one of the residences on another road.
There were no structures lost as a result of the fire and Worsley said they were fortunate that the wind was on their side.
His pickup, he added, has been his main command office.
Many of the crew are newly-certified, having completed training last October.
“It’s been a very good team-building experience,” he added. “Their training came into action right away.”
Since Friday the fire hall has been manned steadily with about 24 volunteers sharing shifts.
The day starts at 5 a.m. with the firefighters taking turns to go out and follow behind a feller buncher.
“They have spent days out there because the duff layer is quite deep and very dry,” he said.
By 7:15 p.m. Friday night the community was under an evacuation order, but Worsley said some people chose not to leave.
With the order it has meant the fire department’s members have been sleeping at the fire hall.
Some members have brought trailers there and Worsely said he put in a request for some air mattresses.
As he took the Tribune for a tour of a burned out area on the southeast side of the community, he stopped his truck, which he said has become his command office, and pointed to a house he said was looted on the weekend.
“They drove right through the fence to get away,” Worsley said shaking his head. “Luckily the police presence has really picked up here.”
Worsley has called Wildwood home for 47 years and said it’s devastating to see all the areas that have caught on fire.
“I tell the crews to be positive,” he added.