'They'll burn with their house': Behind the decision to defy evacuation orders as flames approach

Packed in thegymnasiumofGrassy Plains School, fire management specialist Dana Hicks addressed a crowd of 100 or so residents of the south side of FranoisLake, B.C., who have chosen not to obey an evacuation order.

The community, about 230 kilometres west of Prince George and just south of Burns Lake, is threatened by three fires:theNadina Lake, Verdun Mountain and Island Lake fires, which combinedcover more than 1,000 square kilometres

Close-upsof the active wildfire near Burns Lake, B.C.

Wildfire threatens homes near Burns Lake, B.C.

6 years ago

Duration 0:30

Some residents in the area have chosen to defy an evacuation order, saying they'd rather stay behind and defend their homes.

Of the roughly800 people who were told to leaveAug.9, about100 people have chosen to stay.

"I recognize that you're fighting for your livelihood and your dreams, and I understand that," Hickssaid at the Monday meeting, pausing for emphasis.

"But helicopters, bulldozersnothing will be able to save us if these fires start to move."

'We just can't afford to lose it'

As 560 wildfires burn throughout B.C.,about 20,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes or be ready to leave at a moment's notice.

For some, the decision to flee might seem an obvious one.

But researchers who study wildfire evacuations say the decisioncan be wrenching especially for thoseleaving behindproperty that contribute to livelihoods.

"We have so much stuff on our property that is of value, and we just can't afford to lose it," said resident Matthew Bock.

Still, the message from the province is clear: leave before it's too late.

"It may seem heroic or romantic to stay and fight a fire," Chris Duffy with Emergency Management B.C. told CBC in an interview.

"But I would suggest to you, and I was a front-line firefighter for 25 years, that there is nothing heroic or romantic about watching somebody that you love perish in a wildfire."

Duffy said provincial officials can't force a competent adult to leave an area unless a child is involved.

"At the end of the day though, if a competent adult decides to stay in defiance of an order, they can do that. We want to make sure that they clearly understand the risks that they have, and the risk that they're putting others in."

Feeling abandoned

One of the people defying the evacuation order in the FranoisLake area is25-year-oldJared Johnson. He works in the Cheslatta CarrierFirst Nation archives department, but has spent recent days hauling debris from buildingsand sprinkling water on every house he can get to.

Johnson said he stayedbehind because with hundreds of fires burning across the province, resources have been stretched thin, leaving the small community whichmostly relieson ferry service feeling abandoned.

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"The firefighters in the area are undermanned, they don't have enough people to fight these sizes of fires ...so we've been prepping all of our houses ourselves," he said.

Johnsonsaid if the firefighters leave the area, he will too. But not everyone feels that way.

"There's some people that won't do it. They'll burn with their house down around them."

Reasons to stay complex

Amy Christianson, a fire research scientist at Natural Resources Canada, said many people feel that staying behind is a necessity rather than a choice.

"People stay behind to protect what they value the most," Christiansonsaid.

In First Nationscommunities, that can mean staying to protect ceremonial sites, a berry-picking area, or a trapline. For people who are uninsured, or have livestock, it can mean protecting their entire livelihoods.

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In FranoisLake, some residents who planned to defy the evacuation ordersaid if the fires escalatethey willleave with firefighters.

But Christiansonsaid experiences in Portugal and Australia, in which people died as they fled wildfires,have shown thatstaying untilthe endcan be a dangerous choice a message echoed by Hicks in his emergency meeting back at the school.

Hicks told residents that, if they do stay, it's safer to stay put for the duration of the wildfire.

"If you stay, please stay and ride it out. Don't take off. You're going to get that little thought of wanting to flee, and when you get that thought of wanting to flee, fight it," he said.

'Not that easy to do'

Christiansonsaid that while Canada uses evacuation orders as the main tool for keeping people safe, countries like Australia usea "shelter" or "stay-and-defend" approach, which can, in specific cases, be the smart thing to do.

Studieshave shown that most buildings don't burn down because they are in the direct path of flames, but as a resultof falling embers and burning limbs carried by wind.

She said in these conditions, with a plan in place, sufficient equipment and an understanding of fire behaviour, it may bepossible to save your home.

"Preparedness would mean you have firefighting equipment, generators, access to a water source, personal protective equipmentit's not that easy to do."

Duffy, with Emergency Management B.C., said that even the best laid plans may fall apart when flames are approaching.

"I would offer that there is a difference between having the means and then having the knowledge and capability under duress and under extreme situations," he said.

"It's all good until it's not."

With files from Yvette Brend

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