The Hope Fire Department put out an early morning fire Thursday, June 21 in a forested area off of Highway 1 where a temporary camp had been set up.
The area close to exit 168, Silver Hope Creek, and the Flying J Travel Center was abandoned when fire crews came to the scene. The fire was contained quickly, said fire chief Tom DeSorcy, yet managed to burn through belongings left there.
RCMP are continuing to investigate the fire, although DeSorcy said it is not being treated as suspicious.
“I suspect it was not started on purpose because a lot of personal belongings were damaged or destroyed as a result,” he said, including a camping stove and other personal effects.
DeSorcy said the fire department works with the district’s bylaw services and the RCMP to find several areas in Hope where people who are homeless are camping. The fire department responds to calls in these areas, reports of fires or smoke from cooking, often talking to the people residing there.
“(We have) a conversation saying we appreciate your concerns, your issues, but we really don’t want to have any incidents involving fire or smoke,” he said. “It’s one thing to cook food and keep warm, which is certainly permitted at this time, but we want it to be safe.”
DeSorcy said it is important to ensure a campfire is completely out before leaving the area, by pouring water into the coals and mixing the coals around multiple times, as well as feeling for any warm spots in the fire.
“If you have warmth, chances are you could have a rekindle and a fire starting again. So people’s common mistake is just to pour water on it, put the fire out, but it’s still warm,” he said.
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