‘There were flames within feet of homes:’ Dashwood fire chief recounts frantic fight against Wesley Ridge blaze

Friday, Aug 1 and the following day were particularly high-risk for hillside properties on Klein Ridge Way and Wallace Wood Way.

Estimating at least 10 homes were directly threatened at the time, flames were close enough to melt dryer vents, windows and a greenhouse, Acciavatti noted.

With Klein Ridge Way and Wallace Wood Way situated in hard-to-access areas, DVFD personnel used sprinklers to protect homes on the two streets on the afternoon of Friday, Aug. 1, which helped free up resources.

Flames eventually encroached as the afternoon and evening progressed, forcing DVFD crews to retreat.

“The crews came back at about 11:00 that night and saved multiple homes. I was able to go up the next day, on Saturday morning, I was expecting to see some homes that were lost and every one of the homes that I thought would be lost had been saved. It was absolutely spectacular to see.”

While Acciavatti believes some outbuildings were lost to the fire, he said no primary structures were destroyed on the precarious evening of Aug. 1, or at any point during the fire.

Comprised of 30 firefighters, the entire DVFD staffed at its two halls was tasked with protecting their community from the Wesley Ridge inferno.

Fire departments from across Vancouver Island, including several within the Oceanside area, answered calls for help, with Acciavatti estimating two-thirds of the 300 firefighters at the peak of the operation were local firefighters doing structural protection.

With disaster averted in the Meadowood area’s eastern edge, Acciavatti said the fire began wrapping around toward the Little Qualicum Village subdivision, affecting hundreds of properties who were forced to evacuate.

He said flames were pushing down the hill westward toward more densely populated Taylor Walk and Martini Way, not far from the Little Qualicum River.

“Crews were scrambling to get the village core set up with sprinklers. There was about four days where we were like, ‘Oh man, we’re celebrating our successes right up until today, but in 20 minutes it can change.'”

Further progress was reported with local fire departments fortifying fire lines surrounding vulnerable homes, in coordination with BCWS officials.

Acciavatti spoke extremely highly of the expertise and professionalism BCWS leadership and its frontline workers displayed.

He said several strategically placed BCWS-built containment guards around highly vulnerable properties manipulated the fire’s path.

“It creates a zone where they control the fire to where they want it to go, versus the fire doing what it wants to do. It worked out really well in our situation.”

DVFD crews went full-tilt fighting the Wesley Ridge fire for nearly three weeks (DVFD)

Acciavatti emphasized the importance of several Vancouver Island communities who sent fire crews to help protect the rural Meadowood area, including in the Oceanside area.

He said before a formal provincial task force was established, local fire departments responded by focusing on saving structures on Meadowood’s eastern perimeter.

Acciavatti called the performance of his crews nothing short of phenomenal.

“We were pushed up the limit and our crews stepped up,” Acciavatti said proudly. “Collectively, it made the work lighter; it made the days shorter. I have the utmost respect and gratitude for our crew. When we needed them, they were here. Every one of them stepped up on this fire.”

DVFD representative dousing hot spots on the fringes of the Meadowood area. (DVFD)

Preparing for an interface fire and tactical evacuation for the Meadowood area has been planned for about the past decade, Acciavatti said.

Ensuring properties implement fire-smart principles is a message he said the department is constantly promoting.

The chief said he will push for governments to implement FireSmart principles to be included in building practices, especially for higher-risk interface locations.

“The coast is changing, and we need to change with it.”

In a statement to NanaimoNewsNOW, BCWS fire information officer Karley Desrosiers expanded on the contributions Dashwood and other structural fire departments provided against the Wesley Ridge fire.

“Working through the night alongside the BC Wildfire Service, their efforts were critical in protecting homes and are largely responsible for the positive outcome in the area.”

Desrosiers noted the Meadwood area is a FireSmart community where residents have been proactive in reducing fuels and preparing their properties to make them more defensible.

“Because of this preparation, crews were able to act quickly and effectively, greatly increasing the success of suppression efforts and helping safeguard multiple homes.”

Messages of appreciation left by Meadowood community members for firefighters who helped protect their community (DVFD)

Mapped at 588 hectares and listed as under control, the suspected human-caused Wesley Ridge wildfire was discovered on July 31 on the north shores of Cameron Lake.

Desrosiers outlined 33 wildland firefighters are assigned to the Wesley Ridge fire.

“Crews are working to fully extinguish fire within 100 feet of the perimeter. In the coming days, drones will be used to scan for any remaining heat along the fire’s edge. This data will guide crews to locate and eliminate hot spots. Until this work is complete, firefighters will remain on site, after which the area will continue to be regularly patrolled to ensure it remains secure.”

Meanwhile, the Mount Underwood wildfire south of Port Alberni was 3,603 hectares in size as of Tuesday, Aug. 19, showing no growth since Monday.

While they don’t anticipate further growth, the BCWS said more smoke is expected as the weather warms up this weekend, as untouched brush within the perimeter ignites.

Mount Underwood is still the only wildfire of note in the province and remains burning out of control, with several evacuation orders and alerts issued in the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD) since the fire started in the afternoon of Aug. 11.

Representatives from the ACRD said they’re hoping to provide an update on those orders sometime Tuesday or Wednesday, with approximately 50 permanent residents still impacted by the evacuation orders, with the majority of those initially evacuated being visitors to the area.

The BCWS are also in the process of moving its main operations centre from Parksville to Port Alberni as operations at Wesley Ridge wind down.

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by Ian Holmes

‘There were flames within feet of homes:’ Dashwood fire chief recounts frantic fight against Wesley Ridge blaze

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