B.C.’s Deputy Forest Minister is trying to clear the air of how the White Rock Lake fire was handled on the day it broke out.

Rick Manwaring said it was reported at 3:46 p.m. on July 13. In an email, the Ministry of Forests said it was already 10 hectares when crews were called.

“Our first initial attack crew arrived within 30 minutes, and this is pretty standard expectation. Upon the initial report of this fire, it was already displaying what we call rank four fire behaviour, and this is very aggressive fire behaviour for a new start, or an initial attack fire,” Manwaring said.

“And rank four is often characterized by an organized flame front, is what we call it, and a fast rate of spread on the ground and short-range spotting. We don’t put people in front of rank four fires. What we do is make recommendations for evacuation orders and alerts to get people out of the way of fires exhibiting this type of behaviour.”

He said six fire personnel, or two initial attack crews, were supported by a helicopter dropping water on the blaze, and staff with Tolko and the Douglas Lake Ranch helped build a fireguard to protect property. They were all advised to steer clear of timber stands where it was burning heavily.

“Our initial attack crews were on scene immediately but were diverted from their efforts to tactically evacuate properties in the area, given the threat to life and property. And this has been standard for us in this unusual season. New fire starts are showing very aggressive fire behaviour and growing very quickly.”

The Ministry also said airtankers were called but were stood down, saying “the intensity of the fire and its growth were beyond airtanker resources.”

One thing not mentioned was a potential cause to the fire. It’s currently listed as “under investigation” by fire crews; there was no lightning in the area at the time the fire happened, suggesting it was likely human-caused in some way.

The points made today by Manwaring dispute claims that have arisen that the BC Wildfire Service took a full day to respond to the fire. Local ranchers with fire training and proper equipment say they were told to stand down for 48 hours, and that was not addressed by the government.

Manwaring also said on August 5, when the fire burned down much of Monte Lake and Paxton Valley, it was burning as a rank six firestorm with winds gusting up to 60 kilometres per hour.

He said structural protection teams assess whether properties can be defended with those units, and says homes that can be saved will have structural protection units set up. “I don’t have the details on exactly how many properties fit in either category in the Monte Lake area.”

He added that irrespective of whether structural protection is in place, a rank six fire is challenging for structural protection units to do their job.

Manwaring expressed concern for people continuing to stay home during the evacuation order. He says people could have evacuation routes impacted and miss important information if they stay behind.

“I do sympathize with all of those impacted by this incident, and all of the incidents happening in this province right now. The thought of losing community members terrifies me, I can tell you, and the entire wildfire service team here. And we spend everyday focusing on that.”

Residents in the area who have stayed behind say they are trying to protect what is left for homes in the area, saying there are no wildfire service personnel around and that flare-ups could threaten more structures.

As of Tuesday night, much of the fire activity had dropped to rank one (the lowest) and rank two fire activity, after it grew by about 20,000 hectares on Thursday and Friday alone. The blaze is now mapped at just over 55,600 hectares.

Temperatures are set to spike later this week as the fire danger rating is expected to rise again, and Manwaring says we can expect wildfire activity to rise again.

Manwaring also says the BC Wildfire Service will hold a “thorough orientation” of the White Rock Lake fire on Thursday at its incident command post in Vernon to outline more specifically how the fire has been fought.