Although spring weather records were breaking across the Fraser Valley this past weekend, it was more than just sunshine that kept the Hope Volunteer Fire Department (HVFD) busy: the detachment responded to nearly a dozen calls since late last week.
It was “a busy weekend for our volunteers as we responded to 10 calls … including five on Friday alone,” said Tom DeSorcy, HVFD’s fire chief. “Incidents included a ruptured gas line, four motor vehicle incidents, and five fires.”
Of the five fires, DeSorcy says two comprised a “small fire near the highway, and a slash-burn in Laidlaw that spread to the grass and brush around it,” while the others were all located in the same area, but not at the same time.
“We (also) responded to a local homeless camp on three separate occasions to extinguish debris on fire with some involvement into the wildland each time,” he added. “Our partner agency at Wildland Fire Services were activated in several of our responses as well.”
With wildfires already burning in parts of British Columbia, and the fires of 2017 and 2018—the two worst years for fires on recent record—still burning brightly in people’s memories, DeSorcy said what’s most important is for people to remain diligent.
The only fires currently allowed in Hope are campfires for cooking food or keeping warm.
And although complete bans are not being contemplated at this time, DeSorcy adds that remains an option should conditions change in the coming months.
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