First responders had the help of good Samaritans when a wildfire broke out in a rural area of Golden.
Police officials said a Golden RCMP Highway Patrol officer noticed a brush fire near Forde Station Road along Highway 1 on Wednesday afternoon.
Golden RCMP officials said Constable Mark Tataryn jumped into action.
“The fire was about 20 metres wide and travelling east, beginning to engulf large trees,” said Golden RCMP. “Cst. Tataryn used multiple fire extinguishers from his police vehicle, the vehicles of fellow RCMP officers that attended, and other motorists’ vehicles that stopped to help.”
A driver in a Kootenay Pumping truck was travelling through the area and helped fight the fire.
With the added assistance, the group was able to slow the fire before the Golden and Nicholson Fire Departments arrived, with help from a BC Wildfire Service helicopter.
“Without the quick thinking of Cst. Tataryn and staff from Kootenay Pumping, the outcome could have been devastating for the community,” said Golden RCMP Corporal Lucas Sovio. “A special thank you to all of the local residents, passersby and first responders who helped fight the fire. Rob Ford, Mike Faucet, Brady Hubert, Robert Cowan, and others whose names we did not get, were amongst those good Samaritans who stopped to lend a hand.”
Police officials said the fire likely broke out when a tree fell on power lines in the area.
Highway 1 was down to a single lane while crews were on the scene, and the fire was fully snuffed out by 8 p.m.
“This incident almost led to the evacuation of residents in the Blaeberry area,” said Golden-Field RCMP Media Relations Officer Cst. Kat Robinson.
