As a brush fire on a private property quickly began to spread, the Halfmoon Bay Volunteer Fire Department rushed to the scene from the fire hall, where three members were already gathered.
Homeowners reported a fire on their property on Leaning Tree Road in the afternoon of July 27. When the firefighters arrived, the fire was only 40 feet away from the home. It spanned 3,000 square feet and was starting to climb trees, a July 29 press release from the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) said.
A total of 17 members responded to the call for help, fire chief Ryan Daley told Coast Reporter. He, the deputy chief and a volunteer firefighter left from the fire hall, while the assistant chief was able to drive the duty vehicle from his house. “There were a few of us on scene really quick,” Daley said.
When they arrived, Daley said he grabbed the pre-connect hose and immediately began to suppress the fire. Once the flames were extinguished, the crew stayed on scene through the evening to monitor the area.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The call came on Wednesday, about midway through a heatwave covering much of the province.
“The ground is getting dry, the heat’s not helping, the relative humidity is not helping. So, the conditions are getting very good for brush fires,” Daley said.
“This is a big reminder of how important it is to FireSmart your home,” Daley said in the SCRD’s press release. “The techniques used by FireSmart assist in slowing the spread of fires and help to protect your home. In this instance, it’s fortunate that the fire department was in a position to provide such a quick response, with a number of resources as this fire had the potential to get out of control very quickly.”
The SCRD’s press release also issued a reminder — ahead of the B.C. Day long weekend — to practice safety and awareness around preventing wildfires.
“A fire needs an ignition source to start. So, we have to be extremely careful with anything we're doing that has an ignition source,” Daley said. That could be anything from cigarettes to barbeques and camping stoves.
