Members of the South Country’s Fire Departments had another busy night after a fire broke out in an industrial area in Elko overnight.

“The fire was contained to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s gravel pit; however, had the potential to be much more serious as the area it broke out in borders on Canfor’s mill yard, which contains a much larger fuel source,” explained Elk Valley & South Country Rural Fire & Rescue Services Deputy Chief Michael Hockley.

“Our firefighters did a great job of getting it under control and keeping it confined to the gravel pit.  We also had tremendous cooperation from Canfor and Mainroad Contracting, and we would like to thank them for their efforts.”

A total of 10 firefighters from the Elko and Baynes Lake Fire Departments and five pieces of apparatus responded to the call, which came in at approximately 8:30 p.m.  Firefighters were on the scene until 2:30 a.m. and representatives from Mainroad East Kootenay Contracting and Canfor stayed through the night to ensure there were no other flare ups.

There were no injuries as a result of the fire, which is believed to have started when a pile, that had been burned over the winter, re-ignited.

“Over the past few weeks, our crews have responded to several calls and we want to once again acknowledge them for their outstanding efforts last night. These men and women are paid-on-call volunteers and the service they provide in keeping our communities safe and supporting our residents is invaluable,” added Hockley.

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