Fort Simpson (Sep 05/03) - Jimmy Deneron and 19 fellow Deh Cho firefighters were reminded of how dangerous firefighting can be.

Jimmy Deneron: "It was a pretty scary situation at times." - NNSL file photo

Three fire crews from Fort Simpson and another from Fort Liard -- a total of 20 people -- returned from action near Creston, B.C. on Aug. 26.

Four of those days were devoted to travel, the other two weeks were spent in inexplicably hot, dry and smoky conditions unlike anything Deneron had ever seen before in 19 years of seasonal firefighting.

"Their drought code was just off the scale," he said. "We've never had conditions like that here. It's so dry over there."

Creston, population 4,800, is located in southeastern B.C., about 10 kilometres north of the Idaho border.

The fire, which grew from 400 hectares to 1,100 hectares, was burning close to 5,500 feet up the side of a mountain. Firefighters had to contend with temperatures of 32-36 C, gusting winds and massive cedar and hemlock trees on fire.

It was so dry that pits had to be dug on the side of logging roads to tap into ground water. Tanker trucks continuously wound their way up and down the roads to bring more water to the site.

Forced to scramble

The first few days were the most trying. With numerous fires burning elsewhere in the province, the Creston area was understaffed and relatively unorganized, according to those on the scene.

"They were strapped for everything," said firefighter Michael Tsetso, who has 11 years of experience.

Tsetso said it wasn't intense around the clock, but depending on the conditions the fire was "really rolling and taking off."

When the wind gusted, the fire would "crown," racing from treetop to treetop. Deneron said he saw a picture showing flames extending three times the length of a burning tree.

"It covers a lot of ground that way," he explained.

The fire crews were forced to evacuate six times.

The blaze was most menacing on the third day, Tsetso noted.

"We really had to get out of there," he said of the inferno bearing down on them.

Deneron, the crew leader, said the firefighters always made sure they had escape routes.

The Deh Cho crews were mainly assigned to mop up "hot spots," according to Deneron.

But even after digging out smouldering embers they would go back two days later and still find burning patches of forest.

"We had a hard time putting them out. There were hot spots all over the place," said Deneron. "(The fire) still wasn't contained when we were leaving."

Unlike Kelowna, homes in Creston were not razed but the threat still had residents nervous. The townsfolk expressed their gratitude openly, according to firefighter Conrad Cazon.

"People were stopping us on the road and thanking us," he said.

Deneron added, "A couple of ladies and some older guys shook our hands and said, 'You guys are a long way from home, but you're here helping with the fire and we feel a lot safer with you people here.' And that's a good feeling."