The Tyee Podcast: Fighting Wildfires with Tyler Olsen

Tyler Olsen is no stranger to wildfire. He and his family no longer notice the smell of smoke in the air, and they are familiar with the sight of fire on the hillside near their home in Lillooet, B.C. He’s gotten used to the sound of firefighting helicopters whirring overhead.

The Tyee senior editor jumped at the opportunity to climb into a Bell 407 helicopter with wildfire fighters battling the Ainslie Creek wildfire in August.

“I’ve been reporting on wildfires for years now, and I’ve never had this opportunity,” he said. “As journalists, we don’t actually have the ability to see firefighting on the ground, basically at all, because they are generally in places where there are evacuation orders or the media otherwise can’t get into.”

This week, Olsen takes us inside the fight against B.C. wildfires. He shares what’s changed, why this year is different and what it’s like to live with fire.

Listen to this episode by clicking the embedded podcast player below or by following The Tyee Podcast on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , iHeartRadio , Amazon Music , Pocket Casts or YouTube .

Note: Episode transcripts may contain errors. Always check the corresponding audio before quoting any part of the transcript.

Tyler Olsen: When you’re in a helicopter around 11 a.m. over a fire, it’s not hugely spectacular in the way you might immediately imagine. There’s no huge wall of flames that you’re battling. There’s probably no huge plume of smoke.

Harrison Mooney: You’re listening to Tyler Olsen. He’s a journalist here at The Tyee. And this summer, he got the rare chance to join wildfire fighters in a Bell 407 helicopter as they fought the Ainslie Creek wildfire.

Tyler Olsen: Sometimes for as far as I as the eye can see these little, like, spots of fire are just sending up white smoke into the air, and it's not so much the individual scale that gets you, but the broader scope of these fires and just how big they are over such a wide landscape. And you start to realize how many helicopters or anything you would need to just pour water on a fire the size of the Ainslee Creek fire.

Harrison Mooney: This is The Tyee podcast. Every week, we dive deep into the stories shaping the west coast. Because Canada needs more B.C. Tyler is no stranger to wildfire. He and his family live in Lillooet. That’s fire country. He told me he no longer considers the smell of the smoke that wafts through town. He watches fire blaze along the hillside near his home and he’s gotten used to the sound of fire-fighting helicopters overhead. This week, Tyler takes us inside the fight against wildfires. He shares what’s changed, why is this year different, and what it’s like to live with fires. Stay with us.

Harrison Mooney: Tyler, you got a rare opportunity to climb onto a helicopter with wildfire fighters as they fought the Ainsley Creek fire.