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FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 2010
FIRE HAZARD
HIGH
& DRY
As if hot weather wasn’t risk enough, parks and woodlands have arsonists and carelessness to contend with
Simple things you can do to prevent fires At home:
At the park:
❚ Keep roofs and yards free of dead vegetation and other fuels; ❚ Cut vegetation back from chimneys, air conditioners, barbecues and sheds; ❚ Keep hoses handy in the yard and fire extinguishers in the home; ❚ Be careful when using gas-powered equipment near dry grass; ❚ Never store accelerants (gas, paint thinner) near inflammable materials.
❚ Don’t dump yard waste into parks. It can spontaneously combust setting the park on fire; ❚ Water nearby vegetation during dry spells; ❚ Do not smoke or use lighters or matches in wild lands; ❚ Report all fires to Surrey fire department by calling 911; ❚ Report evidence of fires or potential fires in parkland to Surrey Parks at 604-501-5050. ❚PHOTO/Brian Howell
SURREY – Matt Bossons was playTed COLLEY Staff Reporter ing hacky sack with some friends recently when they spotted smoke rising from the woods in North Delta’s Cougar Canyon. They quickly abandoned the game and headed across the street from Seaquam Secondary to investigate. They were joined there by a group of 15 or 20 ball players from a nearby diamond. They couldn’t see anything at first, but it wasn’t long before a fire was located at the base of a cedar tree. “While a few of us called fire dispatch, the rest set to work using everything they had to put the fire out,” Bossons said. Coolers full of water and ice were brought across and the contents poured out to douse the flames. Then a second fire was spotted, 25 feet up Cougar Creek from the first one. “Half the group diverged to fight this new fire while we waited for the fire department to respond. The friend I was with, Mark Nasu, took to wetting his T-shirt in the creek and using it to smother the second fire.” Bossons believes the fires were no accident. “It’s clear to me it was an arson. Two fires just don’t start simultaneously 25 or 30 feet apart from each other in a 50-foot deep ravine,” he said. Bossons’ experience serves to underscore the danger threatening local parks and woodlands as the hot, dry weather continues. July brought no rain to the Lower Mainland and there isn’t much in the forecast. Surrey Deputy Fire Chief John Caviglia said the high fire hazard means residents must be on guard. “There is no outdoor burning of any type in the city right now, including cooking fires and land clearing. All permits are cancelled, there’s no burning at all,” Caviglia said Thursday. A light shower of rain fell on Surrey and environs that morning and more could come this weekend, but Caviglia said it won’t be enough to reduce the fire risk. “As soon as the sun comes back, it dries out and we’re back where we are now.” Vancouver recently activated a city bylaw outlawing smoking in parks and on the beaches to prevent fires. “We don’t have that,” Caviglia said. “When the fire hazard becomes extreme, access to parks can be restricted. There are no restrictions now, but we ask people to be aware of the danger and act accordingly.” Caviglia said firefighters are trained to battle forest and brush fires. “It’s a different kind of fire, you’re more mobile. It’s not like a structure fire where you park the truck and go to work.”
Rockers plug in and play it loud tonight to help residents left homeless by fire DELTA – Several local bands are firing up their amps tonight (Friday) to help tenants of the fire-ravaged Ri-Don apartment building in North Delta. A Delta Arts Council-hosted benefit
concert is ready to rock the appropriately named Firehall Centre for the Arts, 11489 84th Ave., starting at 7:30 p.m. Musicians involved in the by-donation “Fight Fire with the Arts” concert have
agreed to perform for free, with all proceeds (monetary, clothing, food and other) destined for displaced tenants. Performers include belly dancers, Young Pacific, Bullets in Overdrive, Delta Blue,
Sara Zacharias and players with the recent R&R Music Rock Band Camp program. For more information about the benefit, call 604-596-1025. – Tom Zillich