Chasing Wildfires for the Tyee

Working on this project was an adrenaline rush. It all began when I received a phone call from Jeremy Williams.

He has deep connections with the Chilcotin First Nations in northern British Columbia and was concerned about one particular community under threat of a massive wildfire.

So, we jumped in the truck and headed up, arriving in town as a massive wall of flame threatened the town, and the “garden hose heroes” (i.e people on the rooftops of their homes) went to work to douse their homes with life-saving water.

Our biggest challenge on this shoot was keeping safe. At one point we were on a remote road surrounded by a wall of smoke on either side of us—we always kept the car in drive—ready to escape on a moment’s notice. We were also very cognizant of staying clear of the brave firefighters and townspeople—for them, the struggle was very real.