Members of the Anarchist Mountain Fire Department fill a water reservoir as they work to contain a wildfire on the mountain on Thursday afternoon. (Hilda Reimer photo)
The chief of the Anarchist Mountain Fire Department credited great teamwork for quickly controlling and extinguishing a brush fire that “could easily have escalated out of control” on Thursday afternoon on Anarchist Mountain.
Around 12:38 p.m. Thursday, Rob Burk said he rushed to a brush fire that was reported near Raven Hill Road and was spreading quickly when he arrived.
He immediately called his team of volunteer firefighters as well as placing a call to B.C. Forestry Services.
While he only asked for backup, management with B.C. Forestry Services decided to send a plane, which dumped four loads of fire retardant on the perimeter of the blaze, which allowed his team of 13 volunteer firefighters to get it quickly under control without any damage to nearby homes or property, said Burk.
The fire grew to “about the size of two football fields before we got it under control,” said Burk.
Because of the extreme warm temperatures and lack of precipitation over the past several months, any brush fire is cause for concern in this region, said Burk.
The good news is the fire was brought quickly under control before 4 p.m., said Burk.
“It was a great team effort and everybody worked really hard to get this thing under control,” said Rob Burk. “Luckily this didn’t happen three days earlier when we were under a severe fire hazard warning or this could have turned out really bad.”
The ministry planes arrived within half an hour and the retardant pilots dropped to control the perimeter played a big role in bringing the fire under control so quickly, said Burk.
“I had only asked for backup, but the bosses there sent the planes right away and they arrived very quickly,” he said. “I guess the thinking was it’s better to spend a few bucks now than maybe having to spend millions if this thing got out of control.”
Burk said he couldn’t be prouder of his members, the several community members who also showed up to try and help out and the staff from B.C. Forestry Services.
‘It went really well,” said Burk. “All the guys from our department have been putting in a lot of hours training for forestry work over the past few months getting ready for this summer and it really paid off.
“It’s a great feeling when you put in all this training and everything comes together.”
Burk said officers from the RCMP had cordoned off the area where they believe the fire started and were investigating the possibility of the fire being deliberately set.
The investigating officer from the Osoyoos detachment of the RCMP was unavailable for comment Tuesday.
Burk said fighting fires of any size present a challenge as the homes and property on Anarchist Mountain are isolated and much further apart than most residential neighbourhoods.
“We don’t have easy access to water and that brings unique challenges,” he said.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
A plane drops red fire retardant to contain a wildfire Thursday afternoon on Anarchist Mountain. (Hilda Reimer photo)
The Anarchist Mountain Fire Department works to contain a wildfire on the mountain Thursday afternoon. (Hilda Reimer photo)
The Anarchist Mountain Fire Department works to contain a wildfire on the mountain Thursday afternoon. RCMP were also present. (Hilda Reimer photo)
