When a fire started in Nazko last night (May 9), a group of Salmon Arm Crushing employees — who were working at the local Baezaeko Pit to produce sand for the roads next winter — noticed the flames from about two kilometres away.
According to Simon Rizzardo, the manager of Salmon Arm Crushing, a division of Emcon Services, the group jumped to action.
The fire was encroaching on Emcon’s Nazko dispatch, so they took their equipment — a Cat 980H Wheel Loader and a small bulldozer — and set to work. The crew knocked down trees to create a fire line between the dispatch and the flames.
“They’re on [the line] again this morning,” adds Rizzardo, who posted a video from the workers on the line to Facebook last night. He says he’ll have another video to post of their efforts later on today.
The fire is now classified as under control by the Cariboo Fire Centre, says Fire Information Officer Erin Bull, and — in addition to the crew from Salmon Arm Crushing — has 13 firefighters on scene. Bull has comfirmed that the Emcon employees are working under the supervision of the B.C. Wildfire Service.
The fire, located eight kilometres south of Nazko, between Stump Lake and Nazko Road, is five hectares in size, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
READ MORE: Cariboo Fire Centre managers prepare for 2019 wildfire season
Heather NormanCommunity Reporter
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