PEACHLAND, B.C.—Before I can go anywhere near the fire line, BC Wildfire information officer Brenna Ward hands me a pair of fire engine red, flame-resistant Nomex coveralls.Her bosses say it’s required equipment, just like the hard hat and six-inch-high work boots I also have to wear. And I’m happy to. Heading into a wildfire with clothing that’s not going to melt all over me makes sense.The Mount Eneas wildfire has been burning between Summerland and Peachland, B.C., for four days. In that time it’s grown from a small lightning strike to nearly 1,500 hectares.It’s one of 14 different fires now burning in what BC Wildfire calls the Okanagan fire complex, with more than 200 wildfire fighters and dozens of helicopters and air tankers committed to the fight.But what does it actually look like inside the fire itself? I wanted to find out and, after much cajoling, the communications team agreed to escort me to the fire line.The first thing you notice is the smell, like the world’s biggest campfire (which, basically, it is). Anyone who lives in the B.C. Interior likely knows what I’m describing — these fires happen so often.Then of course there’s the constant thumping of the helicopters overhead — the big-bladed heavy lift choppers that look and sound like the ones used in the Vietnam War.Squad boss Dave Jones and firefighter Luke Binsted agreed to show me around, under the watchful gaze of information officer Ward.We head up the mountain, following a fire hose snaking through the tinder-dry grass. After a few minutes we find other members of Jones and Bisted’s team, the Fraser Unit Crew, digging a fire line below the burned area.As my wildfire safety instructor Doug Richardson explained to me back in May, this is the foundation of wildfire fighting — hacking a line a foot or two wide across the mountain by hand.Unlike the helicopter buckets and air tanker drops, building the fire line is mo ...
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