2014-Jun-03
WHAT???? Forest Fire in May!!
Forest Fires – A Recent Experience (Bob Duncanson)
In case you thought that forest fire threats are a midsummer issue and therefore you don’t need to be prepared at any time, here is a cautionary tale.
On Saturday May 31st there was a fire on the Brough property at the south end of Wah Wah Taysee. The fire started mid afternoon and was almost certainly caused by a short in the Hydro cable where it crossed the back of the property. (as an aside this is the second such Hydro cable fire in the area in the past two years, the first being on Bernadette Island two summers ago). Janet Tinsley (Brough) and her mother were at the main cottage. They called Hydro when the power went out but didn’t investigate the problem further. As a result the fire had a few hours to get well established.
Caroline and Bob Duncanson started to smell smoke at their cottage which is downwind from the fire. They went out in their boat to investigate and eventually pin pointed the fire at the back of the Brough property. As they arrived on the scene so too did the Hydro crew who were reacting to the power outage phone call. Both quickly realized the extent of the problem. The Hydro crew called the Township Fire Department and the Duncansons headed back to their cottage to get their fire pump as they knew that it would take some time for the Fire Department to arrive.
As they passed the front of the Brough property they pulled in to the shore in front of the cottage to speak with Janet. Janet and her mother were unaware of the fire as they were up wind of it. They were asked if they had a fire pump or knew someone closer by that did. They said they didn’t but would make some phone calls. The Duncansons picked up their pump and two neighbours (Eleanor Proctor and Chris Littlejohn) to help and returned to the fire. By this time the fire had spread noticeably and was near the small cabin on the back of the property.
The Duncansons and the hydro crew were able to get the pump operating after a little fumbling (due to lack of recent practice and possible stale gas that had been in the pump over the winter). One of the hydro crew led the hose into the bush and was able to keep the fire away from the building.
The Township fire boat eventually showed up about 45 minutes after the first pump was started. Chris Littlejohn had called the Stephens’ cottage, and their pump arrived shortly after the fire boat, courtesy of Michael Stephens and Jeff Greene. Between the three pumps the fire was brought under control within an hour and the area was soaked down until about 8pm .
The bottom line is that the Broughs got off lightly thanks to alert neighbours and dedicated Hydro and Township staff.
Observations from the Duncansons
– We were not as prepared as we could have been for a fire so early in the season.
– In hindsight we should have put our pump in our boat before heading out to locate the source of the smoke. This would have given us 30 more minutes to stop the growth of the fire.
– We should have a list on the wall beside the pump to remind us what all should be taken to the fire. We forgot the hose nozzle, could have used a cup to prime the pump and a bucket to help douse the fire.
– We hadn’t refreshed the gas in our pump or the extra supply tank.
– We were surprised by the fact that this was another fire started by a failed Hydro cable. Clearly this is a bigger issue than Hydro is admitting to. Any cottager that has a cable running across land and through brush should be alerted to this and perhaps keep vegetation cut back from the cable if possible.
– If you have a power outage, walk the line to where it exits your property to make sure there isn’t a fire.
– If you smell smoke get out in a boat (with the nearest pump and equipment) and locate the source. It may be a false alarm but better safe than sorry.
