Cranbrook Fire and Emergency Services knocked down a small fire near Moir Park on Saturday afternoon.
Firefighters were called to the scene in a heavily treed and dry area beyond the fence line on the west side of the park, where a fire had sparked up, according to Scott Driver, the Director of Cranbrook Fire and Emergency Services.
“The fire quickly started candeling up a number of trees and burning through the ground, pushed by wind,” Driver said. “Staff were able to get in there and contain the fire.”
CF&ES staff are currently extinguishing two small bush fires on the West side of Moir Park.
— cranbrookfire (@cranbrookfire) August 29, 2020
A quick response by B shift allowed staff to get ahead of the dry fuels and gusty winds.
We will remain on scene until the fire is completely out. pic.twitter.com/99e9KTLcAQ
Local firefighters worked the fledgling blaze, while a helicopter did a flyover as well, added Driver. Members from the BC Wildfire Service also stopped by to check up on the situation.
As staff were nearing the end of extinguishing the fire, another one roughly 100 yards downwind was identified and tackled.
“Not certain how that one started, but it likely started from the first fire, so it was spotting through the forest at that point,” Driver said. “We quickly got a handle on that one as well, it was a little bit smaller, then we spent the rest of the day there making sure it was completely out, because the wind conditions were expected to pick up throughout the weekend.”
The fire is suspected to be human-caused, Driver added.
trevor.crawley@cranbrooktownsman.com
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