LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 27 nature called. We weren't always on Fire 360. During a few days of our assignment, squads were flown to different fires to roll hoses and retrieve equipment. From the air, the vastness of the Canadian boreal forest was evident, and the burned areas really stood out. I was amazed by how much water there was; the landscape was dot- ted with a series of lakes, rivers, and bogs. At times, there was more water than land visible. For a person who loves to canoe like me, I really want to go back with a boat and explore the area more. The paddling options are endless! Whenever I was in the helicopter, I was always scanning the shores for moose. I never saw one from the air, but moose hunting blinds were everywhere. On the second to last day, my squad saw a moose on the drive to the fire. On one of the last days of our assignment, the whole crew went to a new fire. Fire 248 had been burning about just as long as Fire 360, but it was close to 16,000 acres in size and there hadn't been any fire- fighters assigned to this fire to work on it. This fire was considerably farther from our base camp and required a helicopter to get to. As we approached, the whole landscape was black- ened and charred except for a few pockets of green trees every once and a while. Each of the three squads was dropped off at a different location on the north side to knock down the flames. We worked all morn- ing, but around noon, the call came in to head to the pick point and prepare for evacuation. The fire activity was increasing as the day got hotter and drier, and the only way out was by helicopter. As we flew away, sev- eral large plumes of smoke could be seen from the air. Flying over the smoke plume, a wall of fire was visible on the ground burning from treetop to treetop. It was the largest fire I had ever seen in person. Our crew didn't go back to Fire 248 as the weather the next few days looked very similar, and we would probably end up getting evacuated again. Also, a 14-person crew could only do so much to a fire that size. Instead, we went back to Fire 360 to put out the remaining hotspots that kept popping back up. The fire was not declared out because of lingering hot spots in the interior of the fire, but when our crew left, we were very confident that Fire 360 would not spread. Our Northeast crew had done our part to help control the Quebec fires. I knew my first big fire trip would be memorable, but this trip far exceeded my expectations. I won't forget it anytime soon. I'm very thankful for the opportuni- ty to have gone and the lessons and experiences I've gained because of it. It felt rewarding to help make an impact especially when the effects of the fires on Quebec were being seen and felt across the North- eastern United States. I will definitely say yes again when the next opportunity rolls around.

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