Pitt Meadows deputy fire chief Dave Biggin is warning residents to be careful after the department had to put out two large brush fires on Wednesday, Oct. 27.
At around 8:15 a.m., firefighters were called to a forest fire in North Pitt Meadows where an employee at Golden Eagle Golf Course along Ladner Road saw flames and smoke from the mountainside above the club.
When firefighters arrived, they located the fire, which was about six by nine metres in size, about 230-305 metres up the Goose Lake Trail, off the access road to the Thompson Mountain Sportsman Association Gun Range.
It was an active fire, said Biggin, and deep seated into the root system.
“(It) appeared to be smoldering for many hours and building heat, then ignited the trees and stumps surrounding,” explained Biggin.
However, he said, the wet ground cover slowed the progress of the flames on the “very steep terrain”. Which was helpful to firefighters who found access to the fire difficult and had to shuttle water up and down the steep access road with their forestry truck.
The crew of nine was eventually able to dig a perimeter break on the low side of the fire, as well as on the north side to stop its progress, before being able to extinguish it. They were on scene for around three to five hours.
Deputy chief Biggin said the fire was probably naturally caused, most likely by lightning.
“BC forestry was advised and provided updates but the their services were not required as we were able to contain and extinguish the fire,” he said.
The second fire call came in at about 3 p.m., and when firefighters attended they discovered an unattended fire in the forest off of Harris Road, about 180 metres from the Airport Trail network.
Biggin said the fire was likely the result of a homeless camp fire and it was difficult to locate initially because of access to the area and the over brush.
Both fire and RCMP attended. RCMP located and cleared the camp.
Firefighters, meanwhile, had to use hand tools to dig the fire back onto itself.
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It was extinguished, said Biggin, by flooding the burned out hole in the root system with water and class A foam.
Crews were back on site today to make sure the fire was fully extinguished.
Biggin noted that this second fire was intentionally set to heat the camp and he is warning that even with all the recent rain, people have to be careful with fire.
“The ground that is covered in our forests and trails is still dry,” said the deputy chief.
And he is reminding residents on the lead up to Halloween, that fireworks are and have always been forbidden in Pitt Meadows.
“Fireworks and illegal fire crackers are very dangerous. There are many documented incidents of misuse and unpredictable discharge that have caused personal injury as well as significant property damage,” said Biggin, adding that discharge of fireworks is regulated by the federal government and requires a certified pyrotechnics license.
RCMP, bylaws and fire are able to enforce the fireworks ban with ticketing that starts at $200 all the way up to $10,000, Biggin reminded.
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