A loud bang in front of an Auto Road SE property was soon followed by a call to the Salmon Arm Fire Department.
Around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 29, firefighters responded to a report of a brush fire in front of an Auto Road property. Upon arrival, firefighters found a smouldering patch of grass at the base of a hydro pole. Deputy Fire Chief Gary Lebeter said an RCMP officer had already doused the grass with an extinguisher. Firefighters proceeded to soak the area.
Lebeter said a resident on the property heard a loud bang and found a grass fire had started at the base of the pole.
“Hydro came on scene and they found a faulty connection on top of the pole leading into the house,” said Lebeter, guessing the current high demand for power may have been a factor. “High resistance created this spark which she (the property owner) would have heard, and of course the sparks drop down onto the ground and got the grass to smoulder.”
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