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VIDEO: Peachland blaze put firefighters' bushfire training to the test

When Peachland firefighters arrived at the scene of yesterday's roadside blaze they got to work, containing it as best they could until the BC Wildfire Service arrived.

When Peachland Fire and Rescue got to the scene of the fire south of Antlers Beach, the temperature was climbing toward a record high. And the fire was climbing in the steep terrain above Hwy 97 where traffic was brought to a halt by the blaze.

"It was spreading rapidly upslope," said Peachland Fire and Rescue Chief Dennis Craig. "We wanted to action it quickly and get it knocked down."

Do we wait or turn around? pic.twitter.com/HehhDFOIFI

"We were seeing some aggressive fire behaviour," said Craig.

The Peachland crew knew the top of the ridge leads right to a natural break where previous fires have burned away fuels.

So they concentrated on making sure the flanks didn't run away on them.

"We were just mainly trying to contain it from spreading towards any values," he explained.

"I don't want to say we weren't nervous," said Chief Craig. "Anytime mother nature can throw up a wind gust."

<who> Photo Credit: KelownaNow <who> Peachland Fire Chief Dennis Craig

What mother nature did give the firefighters was a lot of heat.

"This is our second fire in three days," he explained. "This has been the toughest part is managing the heat, rehab, keeping the crews hydrated and not having any members go into heatstroke and heat exhaustion."

Craig acknowledges that his crew are trained as structural firefighters, but they do get some wildfire training too.

"That really pays off," he said.

<who> Photo Credit: KelownaNow

The Peachland crews then turned command over to the BC Wildfire service as it progressed into a 'rank 3" fire, but stayed on in a supportive role.

It was eventually contained after growing to just under two hectares in size.

The high temperatures and low humidity make for extreme risk in the forests around all Okanagan communities right now.

Just be cautious of everything you're doing out there right now," said the Chief.

"The fine fuels are very, very dry. Be cautious of any equipment, moving equipment, any sort of cutting or grinding out in the backyard, home projects, that sort of thing."

Craig also encourages homeowners to take a fresh look at their own properties. He suggests people contact the fire department for information on how you can keep yourself and your community safe.

"Now's a good time to look at Fire Smart," said the Chief. We have two dedicated local Fire Smart representatives here in Peachland.



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