{"id":20617,"date":"2021-05-20T14:09:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-20T21:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.gov.bc.ca\/bcwildfire\/?p=20617"},"modified":"2026-06-29T08:30:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T15:30:59","slug":"thunderstrike-unit-crew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.gov.bc.ca\/bcwildfire\/thunderstrike-unit-crew\/","title":{"rendered":"Thunderstrike Unit Crew &#8211; Kamloops Fire Centre"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Location<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Lillooet<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Established<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>1989<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Crew History<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Thunderstrike Unit Crew acknowledges they operate on the traditional territory and home of the St&#8217;at&#8217;imc people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Established in 1989 as a small, tight-knit team of 20 individuals, the crew has since flourished into something truly remarkable. From 1989 to 1991, the Thunderstrike Crew worked side by side in Seton Portage\/Shalath before expanding into two offices \u2014 one in Shalath and one in Lillooet. In 2002, the crew came together under one roof at the Lillooet Zone Base, with a several dedicated members continuing to commute from Shalath. Their evolution from those early days to where they are now is a testament to their growth, teamwork and resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Summers in Lillooet turn the terrain into one of the hottest and driest places in British Columbia. The landscape is a mix of steep, rocky hillsides, thick forests with brittle trees and open patches covered in sagebrush\u2014fueling the fire like gasoline. Even the river valleys that provide water to combat wildfires are deep and difficult to navigate. The only thing they can count on is the intensity of the fire, racing up mountains and crashing into valleys without any clear rhyme or reason. Fighting a wildfire there is nothing short of brutal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the Thunderstrike Unit Crew has become a master and steward of this place. They haul heavy gear up near vertical mountains while the wind pushes flames in unpredictable directions. The fire may be relentless and the terrain plays its own games, yet the Thunderstrike crew shows resilience\u2014constantly testing their skill, endurance, and grit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>\u201cOne the few, one the proud, one of the best. Thunderstrike.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns has-small-font-size is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-2 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6a4b2ea8db574&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"647\" height=\"435\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on-async--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.gov.bc.ca\/app\/uploads\/sites\/786\/2025\/05\/seton-crew-2011.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20977\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.gov.bc.ca\/app\/uploads\/sites\/786\/2025\/05\/seton-crew-2011.jpg 647w, https:\/\/blog.gov.bc.ca\/app\/uploads\/sites\/786\/2025\/05\/seton-crew-2011-300x202.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 647px) 100vw, 647px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge image\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6a4b2ea8dbaa6&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"694\" height=\"541\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on-async--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.gov.bc.ca\/app\/uploads\/sites\/786\/2025\/05\/seton-crew-building-a-class-1-heli-pad-2010.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20982\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.gov.bc.ca\/app\/uploads\/sites\/786\/2025\/05\/seton-crew-building-a-class-1-heli-pad-2010.jpg 694w, https:\/\/blog.gov.bc.ca\/app\/uploads\/sites\/786\/2025\/05\/seton-crew-building-a-class-1-heli-pad-2010-300x234.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 694px) 100vw, 694px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge image\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>2010<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p>For updates to this page please contact fireinfo@gov.bc.ca.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Location Lillooet Established 1989 Crew History The Thunderstrike Unit Crew acknowledges they operate on the traditional territory and home of the St&#8217;at&#8217;imc people. Established in 1989 as a small, tight-knit team of 20 individuals, the crew has since flourished into something truly remarkable. From 1989 to 1991, the Thunderstrike Crew worked side by side in &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.gov.bc.ca\/bcwildfire\/thunderstrike-unit-crew\/\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8193,"featured_media":20962,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[632],"class_list":["post-20617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-crew-history"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.gov.bc.ca\/bcwildfire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.gov.bc.ca\/bcwildfire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.gov.bc.ca\/bcwildfire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.gov.bc.ca\/bcwildfire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8193"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.gov.bc.ca\/bcwildfire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20617"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.gov.bc.ca\/bcwildfire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20617\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29538,"href":"https:\/\/blog.gov.bc.ca\/bcwildfire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20617\/revisions\/29538"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.gov.bc.ca\/bcwildfire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.gov.bc.ca\/bcwildfire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.gov.bc.ca\/bcwildfire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.gov.bc.ca\/bcwildfire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}