In their shorts and T-shirts, armed with garden hoses, a couple of East Hill neighbours were quick to action a fire sparked by lightning Tuesday night.
“A lightning strike started a pole on fire which spread to some nearby shrubs,” said Vernon Fire Rescue Fire Chief David Lind.
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Firefighters were called to the blaze in the 1200 block of 25th Avenue at 8:38 p.m. and were on scene at 8:43.
“One of the fellows had a ready tank on the back of a trailer and a small pump and started to apply water to the fire and a couple of residents were using garden hoses to keep the fire at bay,” said Lind. “That was excellent, you see that a lot in Vernon.”
Thanks to the residents’ efforts, crews were able to quickly suppress the fire, which was in the hedges along the sidewalk and close to the front yard of a home.
Neighbour Ryan Smith was tucking his kids in bed when he heard the commotion.
“Lightning hit Sandpiper retirement complex bushes and went up in fire,” said Smith. “VFD (Vernon Fire Department) was quickly on site and put it out.”
There were no injuries and the BC Hydro pole is still intact. Meanwhile, it was a night many East Hill residents will not forget.
“There was some excitement that lightning struck right in a residential neighbourhood,” said Lind.
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