Andrea and Magnus Mussfeld are determined to do whatever it takes to save their house from a massive wildfire still burning northwest of Kamloops.
The tenacious pair even bought an old fire truck to help put out the flames that continue to lick the forest just behind their home in Criss Creek.
On June 28, the Sparks Lake fire ignited about 10 kilometres from the Mussfeld’s house but spread quickly. They spent the next day getting ready. Along with Magnus’s brother Hardy, they packed, installed sprinklers, set up a water pump, cut down the closest trees behind the house, and drove their eight-year-old son into Kamloops to stay with his grandfather out of harm’s way.
Andrea said her son was scared as they drove past a huge wall of fire but didn’t really understood the danger they were in.
They returned home and were surprised that no one came to warn them about the fire or tell them to leave. But as it grew closer they knew they had to flee.
“I left my house later in the afternoon along with my neighbour and her two toddlers. Nobody came to evacuate us, we left on our own as we saw how fast and fierce the fire was coming,” said Andrea.
She had signed up to receive alerts but the evacuation order came two hours after she left the house. Andrea said most of her neighbours left at the same time she did. Her husband stayed a bit longer to do some more preparation in hope that the house would be spared but by 9:30 p.m. the fire was less than a kilometre away, and he was terrified that he would be trapped.
“There was like 300 foot flames coming up behind our house. It was insane,” she said.
They stayed with friends but there wouldn’t be any decent sleep that night.
“It was the most terrifying night as we thought we had lost everything. That feeling is indescribable and of complete helplessness,” said Andrea.
Andrea said a wildfire official told them they didn’t have enough resources to protect their house. The Sparks Lake Wildfire, about 15 kilometres north of Kamloops Lake, is the largest fire in B.C.
As of Saturday, it was estimated to be more than 402 square kilometres, and there was an evacuation order in place for 170 properties, including the Mussfeld’s house. More than 700 homes remain on evacuation alert.
The next morning they went to check on their house and couldn’t believe their luck. Even though the fire had come within an estimated 18 metres of their house, it was still standing. Still, there were losses. Some of their 160-acre farm has been scorched, and they lost about $50,000 worth of timber. Their neighbours lost hundreds of cattle.
Hardy and Magnus worked furiously to build a long stretch of fire guard to stop the flames that continued to burn on their property and on their neighbour’s land. Both brothers have wildfire-fighting experience, so they knew what they were doing. Magnus is also certified in mine rescue, so between the two they have a lot of expertise.
“If it wasn’t for them we would have lost everything,” said Andrea.
“We did not have help from any fire officials. The fire marshal that was stationed at Red Lake told us that we were completely on our own as they did not have the resources,” she said.
So, since they were on their own, they decided to buy a fire truck with financial support from their family and fundraising efforts by friends.
“It’s an older one, a decommissioned one, but it still works, still sprays water and everything, so we have that at our house now to combat the flare-ups,” she said. “We’ve been up there every day trying to put out hot spots.”
The Mussfelds had a mechanic look the fire truck over and, while it was being serviced, the owner of Stuckit made the decals with their last name to put on the truck.
Finally, on July 6, a firefighter came to offer help.
“It was just one guy working on his own to try and come up with a plan. He said that our fire guard actually stopped the fire from going up our small valley,” said Andrea, adding that the firefighter then brought a crew to help them widen the guard.
“My husband and his brother single-handedly saved our house and the rest of our property. We did lose about 50 acres to the fire, but that is a small price to pay for our house being saved.”
She said there are a couple of cabins close by that survived the initial burn, but then were lost to flare-ups.
“The mental toll this has had on us is hard to even put into words. The constant worry and stress of trying to do everything we can to save our home is exhausting,” Andrea said.
