South Country Firefighters respond to overlapping incidents

South Country Fire Department members were busy Thursday morning with two separate but overlapping incidents.

RDEK officials say 14 firefighters and six pieces of apparatus responded after a fire broke out at a property in the community of Kragmont, south of Baynes Lake.

“A contractor was falling trees on a resident’s property and unfortunately, one of the trees hit a powerline resulting in a fire that quickly spread into the surrounding trees,” said Elk Valley and South Country Rural Fire & Rescue Service Chief, Michael Hockley.

“Once BC Hydro de-energized the line we were able to fully attack on the fire.”

Meanwhile, a second call came in regarding a motor vehicle incident.

A crew left the scene to respond to the emergency and support other first responders.

“Today is an excellent example of the outstanding work our firefighters do and the difference they are making in their communities,” said Hockley.

“Without their quick response, that fire today could have been a much more serious situation and when a second call came in, there was absolute professionalism as the team triaged who was needed where and immediately adjusted their sails to be able to support both incidents.”

RDEK officials said the fire in Kragmont was fully snuffed out and firefighters remained on the scene to make sure all hot spots were extinguished.

“In spite of the cooler temperatures and rainy conditions we’ve had the past few weeks, this is another reminder that when you live in a forested area, fires can quickly happen and can quickly get away,” adds Hockley.

“When the unexpected happened, the homeowner did the right thing in calling 9-1-1 immediately as a quick call and quick response make a big difference in these situations.”