Fire came within metres of a lifetime of memories for Jan Barnard at Loon Lake.

The Vernon resident and her husband, Dean, own a cabin on the lake that has been in the family for generations.

Wildfire swept through the area on July 13, destroying several homes and cabins.

Aerial drone video released by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District shows just how close the destruction came. See for yourself at the 47-second mark.

Seeing the video was a bittersweet relief for Barnard. Her treasured memories were safe. Her friends' and neighbours' were gone.

"My family has had a place at Loon Lake since my grandfather surveyed out some land there in 1953," she told Castanet. "My dad helped him build a cabin there. It's been a special part of the entire family's lives ever since." 

Barnard said the family spent the weekend there the weekend fire started in Ashcroft, about 35 kilometres away, "and we worried as the winds blew it through Cache Creek and over the mountain towards Loon Lake." 

As things became more serious, they planned to return the following Friday to retrieve their boat and sentimental items. But, an evacuation alert was upgraded to an order, and they were left to wait and worry.

"That night, the wind blew the fire right through," she recalled.

"The pictures we saw from the last residents and firefighters who fled in the early hours Saturday morning were horrifying. The south side of the lake (our side) is water access only, and it was a wall of flames." 

As images of the destruction started to trickle, their hopes dwindled. 

Neighbours who had lost their homes started receiving calls from the TNRD on July 20.

"No news was good news that day, but our two closest neighbors got that dreaded call."

After watching the video, Barnard said: "It was pretty bittersweet. The fire stopped right on our property, at our creek, but seeing how it devastated our neighbours and how many places were lost has been heartbreaking... We are still rather stunned."

The TNRD lifted several evacuation orders around the lake on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Elephant Hill wildfire picked up in activity under gusty conditions, and has now consumed about 61,500 hectares. Unexpected easterly winds pushed the fire over the western containment lines, towards the Bonaparte River. 

About 300 firefighting personnel are assigned to the blaze. There are no immediate threats to structures.