Seven small brushfires at the top of the Langdale bypass were put out with the help of passing motorists and the Gibsons and District Volunteer Fire Department, preventing what could have been a larger blaze.
The Gibsons Fire Department was called at 12:21 p.m. on June 2 about small flames and light smoke on the Highway 101 at Stewart Road, near the Langdale bypass. Fire chief Rob Michael said the fire was noticed before an incoming ferry unloaded its passengers.
“It was in its inception. It had potential of growing, but due to the diligence of the passing motorists, this was noted early, and … stomped out and extinguished by some outstanding citizens,” Michael told Coast Reporter.
Eleven volunteer firefighters arrived at the scene within nine minutes, hand-dug hot spots and applied water to ensure the fires were extinguished. The bypass was shut down for about 20 minutes as a precaution and for the safety of responding firefighters.
The fire department suspects a mechanical issue from a passing vehicle caused the fire.
“We've seen different types of incidents where we've had a fire along the side of the highway or in the brush, but here what was a little bit different was we had seven separate fire starts along a small stretch of highway, about a one-kilometer stretch with three distinctly different starting points.”
Drivers should make sure their vehicles are in sound mechanical condition, and it is critical that smoking materials are properly disposed of, he added.
It’s difficult to predict wildfire conditions, Michael said, so the public should practice good fire safety throughout the year, regardless of weather.
“The other thing that we need to be mindful of is we are a small, isolated, ferry-dependent community and our resources could get overwhelmed in a major event,” Michael said.
Although the fire department sent three firetrucks to the scene, one of the trucks was called away to attend a motor vehicle incident.
He commended the members of the public who stopped to help get the fire under control, and the efforts of the volunteer firefighters.
