Slave Lake fire chief describes 'last stand' by volunteers

The man in charge of Slave Lake's volunteer fire department is speaking out for the first time since wildfires tore through the town more than a week ago.

In a series of videos posted to the Government of Alberta's YouTube account, Chief Jamie Coutts recounts the harrowing details of the afternoon the fire struck.

"In the last 15 minutes or so before it actually hit it was just, 'get all the people out, we've got to save everybody we can find and get them out,'" Coutts explains.

According to the town's website, the Lesser Slave Fire Regional Fire Service is headquarted in Slave Lake, and comprises 33 volunteer firefighters as well as a full-time chief and a full-time deputy chief.

"You don't sign up to have a 72-hour firefight with no sleep and not enough equipment and not enough water," Coutts says of his volunteer firefighters. "But they did it and they're proud that they did it."

Resources available to firefighters include a ladder truck, two pumper trucks, a mini-pumper, a heavy rescue unit, a hazmat trailer and three light response units. Coutts says it quickly became clear it wasn't enough.

"There was not enough equipment or water to go around," Coutts explains. "We started deciding how we were going to make that last stand. we put all the trucks and the firefighters on 12th street and 13th street and hooked up the fire hydrants and started flowing water."

However, despite the best efforts of Coutts and his crew, the size and intensity of the fire soon overwhelmed them.

"(As the) smoke and embers hit us we just hid behind the trucks and waterways and tried to not burn," Coutts says. "In all the time that I've been doing this I've never seen anything remotely close to this. It happened so fast, it was so hot..."

Coutts goes on to express his thanks to the firefighters from throughout the province and across the country who travelled to Slave Lake to join the fight, as well as to displaced residents themselves.

"We really appreciate that you're behind us and I want you to know that we're behind you and we'll get you (back) here as fast as we can so we can start rebuilding this community."