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Salmon Arm firefighters douse fire at city landfill

Crews from all firehalls responded as a precaution
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Salmon Arm firefighters responded to a fire at the city landfill on the morning of Friday, July 23, 2021. (Shuswap Emergency Program photo)

Crews from all of Salmon Arm’s fire halls responded to a fire at the city landfill Friday morning.

Fire Chief Brad Shirley said the fire was reported around 7:30 a.m. on July 23. He said a plume of smoke was spotted by people at a nearby golf course, and firefighters were sent out to investigate. Then a call came in from the Columbia Shuswap Regional District landfill, indicating that’s where the fire was.

As a precaution, trucks from all four of the city’s fire halls responded, said Shirley, explaining fires at landfills can be stubborn.

“Fortunately, this one wasn’t too terribly hard to manage and members knocked it down quite quickly,” said Shirley, crediting the landfill staff for moving in the area of the fire to give firefighters better access.

Shirley said the fire occurred in an area where refuse was recently dumped, and while a cause hasn’t been determined, it was suggested that batteries, when disposed, can sometimes be an ignition source.

Firefighters were on the scene for a couple of hours before returning to their respective halls.

Read more: Temporary household waste transfer station established in Sicamous

Read more: Firefighters jump into action and stop new wildfire on Highway 3A, near Penticton



lachlan@saobserver.net
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