Sunnybrae-Canoe Point Road was closed to traffic for three hours Monday after two dead trees fell onto the road, pulling hydro lines down with them.
Tappen-Sunnybrae Fire Chief Kyle Schneider says firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 5:22 p.m. June 9.
The fire, located near the parking lot at Sunnybrae Beach, had burned itself out by the time firefighters responded.
“But it took off again shortly and we couldn’t put water on it because the power was still on,” said Schneider, who notes a helicopter was called out but told to stand down for the same reason.
BC Hydro was called out and arrived at 6:15. But crews had to find the box in order to turn the power off, Schneider says.
In the meantime, some of the Tappen-Sunnybrae firefighters, along with area residents, were trapped on the Trans-Canada Highway side of the downed wires.
The power was off by 6:30 and firefighters, assisted by a three-person initial attack crew from the Ministry of Forests rapattack base, attacked the fire, which had climbed some 600 feet up the hill below the bluffs. Tappen-Sunnybrae firefighters were back in quarters by about 8:30 p.m.
Schneider calls for caution, noting the fire danger rating in the area is already high.
This makes the Kamloops Fire Centre’s fire prohibition notice timely. Effective at noon on Sunday, June 15, the current open burning ban will be expanded throughout the entire Kamloops Fire Centre to include the Salmon Arm Fire Zone.
Anyone planning to light anything other than a campfire in the Salmon Arm Fire Zone or Clearwater Fire Zone must extinguish it by noon on June 15.