B.C. fires: a former firefighter's perspective
Former seasonal firefighter remembers his 9 seasons in the bush
Thousands of seasonal wildfire fighters are on the ground felling trees and digging ditches as they struggle to contain the wildfires ravaging British Columbia.
Noel Hendrickson spent nine seasons fighting wildfires for the province in the 1990s.
"As a firefighter, we loved fire. It was what we wanted to do," Hendrickson said.
"We were heavily trained and we wanted to practice what we were trained in."
Gruelling work
He and his colleagues would work through the night in the blistering heat to help protect homes.
"And the next morning you're driving through the area and you see the places you couldn't save, and there's foundations showing, there's dead animals, there's burned fences, and that's the stuff that hits home."
Still, Hendrickson said he and his colleagues were keen to work the long hard days because of what it meant to the communities they were fighting to save.
For more, watch the video: Former wildfire fighter remembers from CBC TV's Our Vancouver.
Our Vancouver