A brush fire in the 1400 block of Pass Creek Road was put out Tuesday thanks to the combined efforts of close to 25 firefighters from four departments.
In a Facebook post, the Robson Fire Department says it was called to the fire around 2:30 p.m. by their counterparts in the Pass Creek department.
“After our command vehicle arrived on scene it was quickly determined we had an out of control brush fire, in very challenging terrain with no nearby water source,” they wrote.
Further help was requested from Castlegar and Ootischenia departments, along with the BC Wildfire Service, and with the use of a dozen pieces of equipment, the fire was brought under control.
Pass Creek fire chief Aaron Bebelman said the fire was down a 250-foot (75 metre) gully and burned about 300 feet (90 meters) worth of brush.
The fire was deemed 85 per cent under control at about 5 p.m., at which point the Castlegar and Ootischenia departments left, but Robson, Pass Creek, and BC Wildfire personnel stayed until about 9 p.m. to check for any hotspots.
Pass Creek and BC Wildfire personnel returned Wednesday to make sure the fire was completely out.
Bebelman called it an example of “great co-ordination with all the mutual aid groups.”
“It was a tough day on the crews,” he said noting the “aggressive” fire behaviour for this time of year. She said in his 22 years as a firefighter, “I’ve never seen a fire like that year this time of year.”
Bebelman said the cause is under investigation.
He said the fire was within 500 feet (150 meters) of one home and within 1,000 feet (300 meters) of another home up the bank where the flames were headed.
“Another neighbour had a bunch of old cars and campers and all kinds of other stuff. If it had got into that, we’d probably still be there putting it out.”