South Country Firefighters were kept busy this morning responding to two separate but overlapping incidents.
14 firefighters and six pieces of apparatus responded after a fire broke out on a private property in the community Kragmont south of Baynes Lake. “A contractor was falling trees on a resident’s property and unfortunately, one of the trees hit a powerline resulting in a fire that quickly spread into the surrounding trees,” explains Elk Valley and South Country Rural Fire & Rescue Service Chief, Michael Hockley. “Once BC Hydro de-energized the line we were able to fully attack on the fire.”
While that was happening, a second call came in for a motor vehicle incident on the Highway near Wardner. One crew left the fire scene to respond to the MVI call and support other emergency responders. “Today is an excellent example of the outstanding work our firefighters do and the difference they are making in their communities,” says Hockley. “Without their quick response, that fire today could have been a much more serious situation and when a second call came in, there was absolute professionalism as the team triaged who was needed where and immediately adjusted their sails to be able to support both incidents.”
The fire in Kragmont has been fully extinguished and firefighters remained on scene this afternoon ensuring there were no hot spots.
“In spite of the cooler temperatures and rainy conditions we’ve had the past few weeks, this is another reminder that when you live in a forested area, fires can quickly happen and can quickly get away,” adds Hockley. “When the unexpected happened, the homeowner did the right thing in calling 9-1-1 immediately as a quick call and quick response make a big difference in these situations.”
