WILLIAMS LAKE, British Columbia — Residents of Williams Lake, B.C., got a front-row look at the wildfire fight to save their community, as water bombers swooped low and dropped red fire retardant, crews sprayed structure fires from ladders and RCMP evacuated homes.

“Everybody was panicked, (which was) understandable because the fire was less than a road across from us,” resident Spencer Stratton said, noting well over 100 people had gathered about a block away as the River Valley fire reached the western edge of the central Interior city.