The 65-year-old resident of the Juniper Village Apartment had no idea the lightning-sparked fire was right outside his back door as he was entertaining a friend at about 9 p.m. on July 1.
“I got a neighbour across the river who sent me a text saying the whole hill is on fire,” Ferriss said.
John Ferriss took this photo of the July 1 fire between Juniper Ridge and Valleyview after arriving at a friend's home across the South Thompson River. - John Ferriss
He said he and his friend watched as the fire burned and Kamloops Fire Rescue showed up, but after about an hour, they were ordered out of the area.