By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
Osoyoos Fire Rescue (OFR) were busy on Friday, May 10 after an accidental fire was sparked by someone cooking at the SunTerra Campground on Lakeshore Drive.
According to OFR Fire Chief Corey Kortmeyer debris from the cooking appliance fell into some Cottonwood fluff on the ground which enabled the fire to rapidly spread. The “fluff” from the Cottonwood tree ignites easily and has a potential for rapid fire spread, he explains.
“The fire basically traveled along the ground with a fair amount of Cottonwood fluff in that area.” The individuals attempted to extinguish the fire but it made its way to the interface and then it became a sizable fire, he says.
A substantial amount of debris in the adjacent empty lot and dry vegetation provided ample fuel for the fire.
Kortmeyer notes that homeowners sometimes make the situation worse by not disposing of grass clippings and other vegetative matter, allowing it to build up under the misconception that it will compost in a matter of time.
Because most of the organic matter was dry it helped extend the fire from the campground towards the hillside, he said. “And once it hits the hillside – fires burn uphill quite quickly – it then ignited the decorative trees at the property above the campground.”
This highlights the importance for homeowners to FireSmart their properties, he added. “It’s definitely something that people should be aware of, when they’re looking at their properties in advance of the wildfire season.”
He also singled out Cedar trees as an example. Requiring large amounts of water they typically dry out before the summer is over. “So they do have a lot of potential and then the close proximity of those trees to adjacent structures and things that are attached to the house like a fence extends from the cedars to the fence and to the house,” he explains.
“Having those fire smart principles and keeping some materials away from your house can be quite important.” He also said that eve troughs should be cleared because an ember landing on the accumulated debris could cause a secondary ignition on the roof.
“So in this case, the fire just extended up the hillside and got into the decorative trees and we were lucky to be able to stop it there because it definitely had encroached on the house above SunTerra.”
Also on hand to provide mutual aid was the Oliver Fire Department which Kortmeyer said was requested out an abundance of caution due to the fact it was an interface fire and because of the location and depending on wind conditions had the potential to grow in a 360 degree pattern. The fire was also near a very large residential complex, he added.
