Members of the Edgewater Fire Department extinguished a suspicious fire in the waste bin at the Edgewater Transfer Station overnight.

“When we arrived on scene, the bin was fully engulfed in flames and our crew did an exceptional job of quickly extinguishing the fire and preventing what could have been a much more serious situation,” explained Columbia Valley Rural Fire & Rescue Service Deputy Chief Drew Sinclair.

Five firefighters and two pieces of apparatus responded to the call at approximately 11:30 p.m. Monday night.

The cause of the fire is believed to be a warm ash barrel that had been thrown in the bin with a number of propane tanks.

“This is a deliberate, destructive act that not only put our firefighters at risk, but the wider community,” stressed Sinclair. “These ash barrels are at our sites to prevent fires and to provide a safe option for people to dispose of ashes and it is unfathomable why someone would throw one in the bin with propane tanks.”

The public is reminded that the fire hazard rating in the region is extreme and fires – including campfires, fireworks and outdoor burning of any kind – are prohibited across the entire Province of B.C.

The RCMP has been contacted and anyone who may have noticed anything at the Edgewater Transfer Station site Monday evening is asked to follow up with the Columbia Valley RCMP or Windermere Fire Department.

The Transfer Station was open this morning and normal operations have resumed.

Lead image: Members of the Edgewater Fire Department responded to a fire in the waste bin late last night and were able to quickly contain the fire and prevent its spread. RDEK photos

RDEK

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