Twice this week in the Elk Valley, quick thinking was credited as a primary factor in the successful containment of vehicle fires.

Members of the Hosmer Fire Department responded to a vehicle fire in the Hosmer area on Wednesday evening.

“When we arrived on scene, there was a single, fully involved vehicle fire,” said Acting Chief Ben Goertzen of Elk Valley and South Country Rural Fire & Rescue. “We want to acknowledge the quick action of the homeowner, who used a nearby excavator to prevent the fire from spreading beyond the vehicle.”

A total of seven firefighters and four pieces of apparatus responded to the blaze, which occurred on the south end of Dicken Road in the Artina Mobile Home Park.

Although the fire was quickly confined and contained, the vehicle is a total loss. Firefighters remained on scene until the fire was fully extinguished and cooled. The cause remains under investigation, but it is not considered suspicious.

Earlier this week, 11 members of the RDEK’s Elko, Baynes Lake, and Jaffray Fire Departments, along with four apparatus, responded to a tractor-trailer fire on Highway 3 between Fernie and Elko. Preliminary speculation points to a bad bearing, wheel seal, or brake issue as the possible cause. Thanks to quick thinking, the driver pulled over in a fire-safe pullout and successfully detached the tractor from the burning trailer—another excellent example of calm and effective action under pressure.

A big thank you to all our dedicated firefighters!