VERNON, B.C. - Bill and Kelly Richards are trying to come to terms with the loss of their home after the Bradley Creek wildfire tore through the Okanagan Indian Band reserve near Vernon. “It looks like a bomb went off in my house,” Bill Richards told CTV News. “There’s nothing left of it.” The couple’s home is among the more than 200 that have been destroyed near the community of Vernon. Without insurance, the couple say they are unsure how they will rebuild. Their motorhome was left untouched by the flames and may now become their home. “The only comfort we got is sticking together and staying as a family unit,” an emotional Bill Richards said. The BC Wildfire Service says firefighters have made progress slowing the spread of the Bradley Creek wildfire, establishing control lines, and using drones to detect heat in residential areas that could signal a flareup. Structure protection crews are protecting neighbourhoods and on duty 24 hours a day. Lightning threatens to ignite wildfires But with no rain in the weekend forecast Aydan Coray, a fire information officer with the wildfire service, suggests another problem may arise. “An incoming weather system of potentially more lightning,” said Coray. “We need help from the public to make sure you’re not causing any human-caused wildfires.” As crews continue battling multiple major fires in the southern Interior, the threat of wildfire also startled one community on the edge of Metro Vancouver, serving as a wakeup call for millions on B.C.’s south coast. Two homes were evacuated, and many others in the village of Anmore, B.C. were put on evacuation alert Wednesday night, due to a human-caused wildfire burning in Belcarra Regional Park. It made for a tense evening in an area unaccustomed to evacuations. “It’s now just very close to home for us and this is the reality of the world that we are living in,” one resident told CTV News. Calm winds helped firefighters keep the fire contained overnight, and by Thursday afternoon evacuation orders and alerts were rescinded. More help is on the way for crews across the province after 200 firefighters from Mexico landed in Abbotsford, B.C. Thursday, earning an airport welcome from the premier. “A chance for wildfire fighting crews in the province to catch their breath and be able to recover,” David Eby said of the valuable reinforcements. Eby also responded to criticism that he has been staying out of the spotlight while his province burns. “The last thing that wildfire fighters need when they’re facing down a wall of flame is for the premier to show up to hold a press conference,” he said. Smoke from wildfires in B.C. and the neighbouring state of Washington also continued to spark air quality warnings in Metro Vancouver on Thursday. Closer to the Okanagan fires, the BC Wildfire Service said thick smoke was actually working in firefighters’ favour, helping to reduce fire behaviour by blocking sunlight and lowering temperatures on the front line.
