By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
A wildfire on Anarchist Mountain on Monday saw a large response from half a dozen South Okanagan fire departments after the South Okanagan Task Force (SOTF) was activated over concerns about how the fire might grow.
The wildfire, which was started by a vehicle fire at a home on Long John Road, was reported at about 4 p.m. with Urs Grob, Chief of the Anarchist Mountain Fire Department saying he placed the call to SOTF members due to various conditions including steep terrain and strong wind.
“The fire start was a burning car and the normal reaction of everybody when a car starts on fire is they move to the side and it was on the side of the hill so the hill caught fire and the fire went up,” says Grob.
“The challenge was that it was a steep hill and there was strong wind and so we didn’t know where the fire would go so we called the task force,” he said.
The South Okanagan Task Force is unique in that while it is part of the Mutual Aid Agreements common in the province this structure effectively streamlines the process. Grob says one call to the dispatcher and all participating South Okanagan fire departments get the call. The idea came about nearly five years ago and was first used during the Keremeos Creek wildfire and last year was used in various fires including the Upper Park Rill Creek wildfire near Willowbrook.
“We get an answer whoever is available, we never know how many. Yesterday (Monday) because there’s not a lot of fires every department sent one truck or two, so we had a little bit too many engines up here, but it’s better to have too much than not enough,” Grob said. He added that once the call is made they won’t cancel it.
The Anarchist Mountain Fire Department (AMFD) said it along with several neighbouring departments attended at Long Joe Road fighting a wildfire which was started from a car fire. AMFD image.
Despite the number of engines on scene, It was useful he added in terms of training for all the departments and “we also found out that this Task Force is really working.” It also enabled them to hit the fire “fast and hard” which is the ideal situation he noted.
Responding to the task force call was Osoyoos Fire Rescue, Oliver Fire Department, Willowbrook Volunteer Fire Department, Okanagan Falls Volunteer Fire Department, Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department, Naramata Volunteer Fire Department and the BC Wildfire Service.
The fire took about four hours to get under control, including nearly two hours fighting the fire on a steep hill, with mop up until about 10 p.m. A crew remained overnight to watch for hot spots, he added.
According to BC Wildfire, it was 1.5 hectares which Grob says is obviously not a big fire and seems like a lot of fire departments involved but “it turns around and then we’re having another big wildfire,” he notes. “Every fire starts small,” he added.
Grob also cautions that the ground is dryer than it looks. “The mountain is still green when you’re driving here and you think there is more moisture in the ground but it is not. Everything under the grass is dry and burns quickly,” he said.
Grob expressed his thanks to the fire departments who turned out along with thanks to the RCMP, BC Ambulance Service, and Nesters Osoyoos. “It’s a great feeling knowing we have support when we need it,” he added.
A second wildfire which also started on Monday afternoon saw a 0.49 hectare fire burning out of. control on Chopaka Road in the Similkameen Valley. The fire was discovered at 3:20 p.m. on July 15 and was considered “held” and then “under control” later that evening.
