The residents of Riske Creek 91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� population 90 91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� have been in the fight of their lives to save their rural community from one of the largest wildfires still burning out of control in B.C.

91裸聊视频淚 just want this nightmare to be over,91裸聊视频� said rancher and lifelong Riske Creek resident, Raylene Poffenroth.

91裸聊视频淭his fire is scary, so scary. You just don91裸聊视频檛 know what it91裸聊视频檚 going to do.91裸聊视频�

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Raylene and her husband Bryan own the Beacher Ranch, located at the corner of Highway 20 and Farwell Canyon Road. But Raylene has family ties to the entire community, with her brother Fred Ilnicki living at the Ilnicki Ranch further west and her mom and dad, Tommy and Donna-Rae Ilnicki and her other brother Kenny and Debbie Ilnicki beyond that at the River Ranch.

Riske Creek residents fought the Hanceville- Riske Creek fire themselves Sunday, managing to save the house and largest shop at Chilcotin Towing in Riske Creek. Raylene Poffenroth photo.

Between her family, and all the friends and neighbours of Riske Creek, the locals have been joining forces to battle the aggressive wildfire, now an estimated 98,000 hectares, day and night for a week-and-a-half since the fire broke out Friday, July 7.

91裸聊视频淭hat was one hell of a night,91裸聊视频� Raylene said of July 7, when helicopter pilot Lee Todd of Eldorado Log Hauling first warned that a fire was approaching the Ilnicki Ranch. Having just got in from work, the men rushed to their heavy equipment to build 100-foot wide fire guards around the ranch. The guard proved no match for the aggressive fire, however, and jumped it and tried to take the main house.

91裸聊视频淭hen it was time to fight,91裸聊视频� she said, describing how the fire burned right to the house. 91裸聊视频淎t one point the boys had to back off and say that was all they could do.91裸聊视频�

Lee Todd of Eldorado Log Hauling flies over the Hanceville fire.Bailey Fuller photo.

The men, consisting of Bryan Poffenroth, Evan fuller and Raylene91裸聊视频檚 nephews Tyler, Justin and Kory with their crew all managed to save the Ilnicki house that first night.

91裸聊视频淎fter that night we basically had two crews going 91裸聊视频� the Ilnicki crew guarding their end of the fire, the rest of the locals along with the Hytest Timber crew went on to protect and guard homes with Lee Todd communicating with everyone.91裸聊视频�

Between all the locals, Riske Creek residents went on to save at least ten more homes in the Riske Creek area, including Shelley and Hugh Loring91裸聊视频檚 home which they fought for day and night, and Mike and Connie Jasper91裸聊视频檚 home.

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Being further east from the fire, Raylene and Bryan91裸聊视频檚 house served as a refuge for much of the community, who gathered at the home to rest, eat and sleep. And while the men fought the fires, Raylene and other neighbouring wives cooked meals and brought them out to their fire fighting husbands and looked after the kids.

Raylene said probably the worst day so far wasn91裸聊视频檛 the fire itself, but was when government officials enforced an evacuation order, forcing the women with children to leave, separating the ranching families.

91裸聊视频淭he men came back from fighting fire to say good-bye and everyone was crying,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淭hat was probably the worst moment. It was terrible.91裸聊视频�

The Hanceville-Riske Creek rages out of control behind the Ilnicki Ranch July 7. Bailey Fuller photo.

By Tuesday the 11th, the government arrived at Riske Creek to take over the local91裸聊视频檚 ongoing fire fighting efforts. But, by Saturday, July 15, the fire had grown in size and strength and became extremely volatile when high winds fanned the flames.

91裸聊视频淚t came through Risk Creek (again) and was the scariest it91裸聊视频檚 ever been,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淚t moved five kilometres in a couple hours.91裸聊视频�

Raylene said once the evacuation order came down in Williams Lake Saturday, the BC Wildfire Service pulled crews from the Hanceville-Riske Creek fire.

91裸聊视频淭hey pulled everyone out.91裸聊视频�

The fire ripped through the forest at the Riske Creek transfer station, across Highway 20 and into the business of Chilcotin Towing, where it burned several impounded vehicles and a smaller shop, but local firefighters who all remained committed to fighting the fire managed to save the larger shop and house.

91裸聊视频淭hey were able to hold it off,91裸聊视频� Raylene said of the Riske Creek residents battling the blaze without support from the BC Wildfire Services crews.

91裸聊视频淚f it weren91裸聊视频檛 for us, there wouldn91裸聊视频檛 be a Riske Creek left.91裸聊视频�

Evan Fuller, Reid Fuller, Bryan Poffenroth, Len McLure and Hugh Loring rest after fighting fire to save Hugh's house Tuesday. Raylene Poffenroth photo.

On Monday, the community finally did lose one house to the fire owned by a family which was further back by a meadow.

The fire also traveled further east closer to town, toward Beacher Ranch where Raylene and Bryan had been bracing for it.

91裸聊视频淲e watched it crest the hill. It was shooting 200-foot flames into the air,91裸聊视频� she said of the fire, bearing down toward the ranch Sunday afternoon. 91裸聊视频淏ut we were prepared for it. We were ready. We had 2,000 feet of water hose hooked up to the irrigation pump. We were waiting for it.91裸聊视频�

The Poffenroths gathered all their machinery, equipment, trucks and trailers and moved them to the centre of their hay field for safety and went out to meet the fire on the west side of Farwell Canyon Road.

91裸聊视频淚t was looking like it was going to cross the (Farwell Canyon) road,91裸聊视频� she said.

Beyond the Farwell Canyon road east lies Beacher Ranch, Toosey Reserve, the Fraser River and eventually, Williams Lake.

Finally at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, while fighting the fire, the Poffenroths said they received air support from the BC Wildfire Service with three helicopters bucketing the blaze until night time.

91裸聊视频淏ryan and I both slept on the front porch and watched it that night.91裸聊视频�

Fires rages across from the Riske Creek Transfer Station. Raylene Poffenroth photo.

Raylene said the fire also crossed the road at Highway 20 and Farwell Canyon road to the north and tried to take the Chilcotin Lodge but was, again, stopped by residents. The fire has also burned the military reserve and all the way to the Loran-C tower location so far.

91裸聊视频淚t was all locals fighting it,91裸聊视频� she said, adding they were also grateful for the assistance of Corey Dyck of Hytest Timber. 91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 understand why the military isn91裸聊视频檛 here helping.91裸聊视频�

Raylene said she doesn91裸聊视频檛 believe the fire threat will be over any time soon in the Chilcotin, which has already been decimated by the fires.

91裸聊视频淚t is devastating, just so devastating,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淭here is no grass left for the cattle. We are probably going to have to sell cows. We won91裸聊视频檛 be able to afford to keep them (and feed them all fall and winter.)91裸聊视频�

Due to the sheer size of the fires out west, Raylene believes most Chilcotin ranchers will be impacted by the 2017 wildfires, as will the loggers who rely on the forests for work.

But she does take comfort knowing that the homes of her family, friends and neighbours have largely been saved so far.

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91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檝e been a community a long time. We have a close group of people here. I went to school here and I91裸聊视频檝e known most of these people my whole life,91裸聊视频� Raylene said of why they fought so hard to save it.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 where we live and we didn91裸聊视频檛 want to see it gone.91裸聊视频�

She also knows, though, that it is far from over.

91裸聊视频淲e are just waiting, waiting for something to happen,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淭here are too many hot spots to put this fire out.91裸聊视频�

Editor91裸聊视频檚 note: While we were in conversation with Raylene Tuesday night (July 18), she had to stop working with us as another fire flared up behind the ranch house. In a text at midnight, she said they would be fighting fire again into the night as the fire continues to jump the guards.