Jaffray Fire responded to another incident of a fire at the Tie Lake Transfer Station of Wednesday night (May 19) – the fourth incident since April.

According to Elk Valley & South Country Rural Fire and Rescue Services Deputy Chief Michael Hockley, the fire started in the engine compartment of a scrapped vehicle the station, and thankfully didn’t spread beyond the vehicle itself.

“RCMP were able to locate the person who drove the vehicle to the site and he informed us that the car had overheated, causing a fire. The occupant had used a fire extinguisher on the car and believed the fire was fully out before leaving the site; however, it continued smoldering.”

The call required five firefighters and four trucks to be dispatched from the Jaffray Fire Department to bring it under control.

According to Hockley, this was the fourth incident at the metals pile at the transfer station since April 17.

The previous three incidents are regarded as suspicious in nature.

“We are appealing to the residents and users of the transfer station site to report any suspicious activity and to avoid any activity on site that could lead to a fire,” he said, adding that the dry conditions in the area and the forest around the station meant that the risk of fire spreading was high.

“Every time one of our firefighters responds to these calls, it puts them in danger. These fires at this transfer station are all preventable and it is unacceptable that our members and the community are being potentially put at risk,” he said.

Anyone with any information about the recent suspicious fires is asked to contact the Jaffray Fire Hall non-emergency line at 250-429-3133 or the Cranbrook RCMP.

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Fernie Free Press