Fire crews from two Salt Spring stations fought a hay field blaze for three hours Saturday, Aug. 3, highlighting what island officials called “matchstick” dry conditions that persist despite last week’s brief rainfall.
White smoke could be seen from much of the island as a section of field burned at Church Hill Farm on North End Road, according to Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue (SSIFR) Capt. Cody Hunsberger, who said on-duty firefighters arriving there from Hall 1 in Ganges were immediately backed up by trucks from Central’s Hall 3.
“We were able to split and take on the two heads of the fire,” said Hunsberger. “The duty crew took one and the paid-on-call took the other.”
The fire had already spread across two acres by the time firefighters arrived, according to Hunsberger, with one end of it headed towards a barn structure and the other toward Suffolk Road to the north.
“It could have been quite a challenging fire had it gotten away from us,” said Hunsberger. “Suffolk is kind of a natural fire break, but if it had jumped the road, then you’ve got trees, neighbours, all that stuff. A quick response — with a full complement — definitely contributed to us having a quick knockdown.”
In total, 18 firefighters and seven apparatus used some 10,000 gallons of water to extinguish the fire, Hunsberger said; after the fire was under control, SSIFR’s new brush truck allowed crews to drive into the burnt field to make sure it was fully extinguished.
“The brush truck has a pump and hose reel on board,” said Hunsberger. “So we could drive the whole perimeter, stopping to soak down hot spots — something we’re really not capable of doing in any other truck.”
All of the Coastal Fire Centre is currently under a burn ban, according to officials, and Salt Spring Island is at “high” fire danger conditions with a two-hour fire watch — meaning after any currently-allowed high-risk activities, such as operating machinery that might create sparks, someone needs to be watching for fires for two hours after finishing work.
Conditions across the province will continue to be hot and dry, according to an update from the B.C. Wildfire Service Tuesday, Aug. 6, with weather expected to continue to dry out forest fuels, making them highly susceptible to ignition.
The cause of Saturday’s fire is still technically under investigation, Hunsberger said, but with conditions this dry he urged islanders to exercise even more caution than usual.
“The hay is like a matchstick,” said Hunsberger. “If you’re allowed to use machinery, make sure you have some water on site.”
For daily updates on fire risk conditions, visit saltspringfire.com.