Savona residents concerned about controlled ignitions they feel are unnecessary

Savona residents like Kim Edmundson who have stayed behind despite being ordered to evacuate, doesn’t think the backburns should be happening.

“It’s a much larger burn than I think any of us anticipated and really want to see,” she said from her Savona home that overlooks the flames and smoke from the burning. “A lot of us feel it’s unnecessary to be having it down here this low.”

She says Tuesday’s burning was on the other side of the hill and is now being done closer to their place — about three kilometres away. Her husband Matt has been helping fight the fires on the frontlines with his machinery.

Local residents feel the wildfire service has had some missteps during the Tremont Creek fire, which has now burned more than 33,000 hectares.

“They could’ve put in some different fire guards a couple weeks ago and stopped it from getting to this point, or at least slowed it down,” noted Edmundson.

The wildfire service is calling the controlled burns a success so far and say there are helicopters and other firefighting personnel on scene if it starts to get out of control.

However, the bottom line is people in Savona — much like Monte Lake residents — feel they’re not being heard.

“We know where all the cow trails are, we know where the old logging roads are, we know where decommissioned logging roads are, we know where water sources are, and they just don’t seem to want to listen,” said Edmundson. “I know Sparks Lake and the Deadman Valley, Skeetchestn Indian Band, they all feel the same way. They’ve all had the same problems on that fire.”

If the weather conditions are right, there will be more controlled ignitions on Thursday as the wildfire services tries to get ahead of this fire.

by Chad Klassen

Savona residents concerned about controlled ignitions they feel are unnecessary

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