Quick and diligent action from area firefighters kept a Pass Creek wildfire fire from spreading to nearby homes and structures on Tuesday.
Pass Creek Fire Chief Aaron Bebelman says the department received the call at 2:28 p.m. on Oct. 11 and crews were on the scene near 1400 Pass Creek Road by 2:35 p.m.
Firefighters quickly determined that the fire was out of control and in steep terrain with no nearby water source.
Robson, Castlegar and Ootischenia Fire Departments were called in to assist as well as the BC Wildfire Service.
Bebleman says the fire was burning about 150 metres from a home and 60 metres from another structure.
The fire spread about 75 metres up a bank in a swath about 90 metres wide before firefighters brought it under control around 5 p.m. At that point, Castlegar and Ootischenia firefighters were able to stand down.
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The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to Bebelman, but BC Wildfire is listing the fire as person-caused.
BC Wildfire has labeled the fire as Gibson Creek and estimated the size to be 0.3 hectares.
On top of the challenging terrain, derelict cars, trailers and other objects stored on the property made fighting the fire difficult.
The Pass Creek and Robson departments stayed on scene until about 11 p.m. as they continued to mop up and put out hot spots and smokers.
BC Wildfire and Bebelman returned to the scene the following day to ensure that the fire was completely out.
Bebelman says that in his 23 years of firefighting, he has never fought a fire this aggressive in October.
With conditions still dry in the area, Bebelman encourages people who are doing any type of burning to remain diligent and follow fire safety protocols such as having proper tools and water handy, continually supervising the fire and making sure the fire is completely extinguished before leaving the site.
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betsy.kline@castlegarnews.com
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