A quick-thinking construction worker helped extinguish a fire in the backyard of a home near Florence Lake Road in Langford Monday afternoon.
The worker was working at a nearby site when he saw smoke in the area, but couldn’t tell where it was coming from. He called 911 and went to locate the fire.
When Langford Fire Rescue arrived at the home on Secretariat Way, there was quite a bit of smoke coming from the backyard, and found the construction worker had found a hose to keep the fire at bay. The owners were not home at the time of the fire.
Langford Fire Rescue extinguished a fire in the backyard of a home near Florence Lake. A quick-thinking construction worker nearby noticed flames and used a garden hose to help extinguish the fire. No one was home at the time #yyjtraffic pic.twitter.com/JW0PoaloEH
— Goldstream Gazette (@GoldstreamNews) June 4, 2018
“It was very, very fortunate because with the little bit of wind we’ve got going on right now, it was starting to spread,” said Fire Chief Chris Aubrey. “It was very fortunate he was able to grab a garden hose and basically keep the flames in check until we got there.”
While Aubrey said the cause of the fire is under investigation, he noted there was campfire equipment in the vicinity.
If the fire started as a result of a campfire that was not property extinguished, it will be the second one the department has responded to in recent weeks.
Aubrey said the incident serves as a reminder that although there was a bit of rain over the weekend, residents should continue to be vigilant.
“We want to make sure everyone is fully extinguishing their camp fires before they leave for the evening,” he said. “Even if that’s not the cause, it’s a good reminder that all it takes is a little bit of wind and some ashes to get out into the dry grass and it could take off from there.”
To properly extinguish a campfire Aubrey suggests “adding water and stirring” until the debris is cold to the touch.
