It was a life lesson for two young boys whose game with a lighter got out of hand.
On Saturday afternoon around one o’clock the fire department was called to a blaze along the CN rail at the end of Cedar. The fire had already ripped through a swath of dry grass, causing smoke to billow for an entire block.Members of the Valemount Volunteer Fire Department were able to quickly bring it under control.
The father of the two children was present with the kids when the fire department arrived. The kids had phoned 911 when they realized they could not put out the fire themselves, says Const. Howard Price of the Valemount RMCP.
“They said ‘We tried with our feet and then with water but that didn’t work so we called 911,” they knew exactly what to do.”
Because the children were under the age of 12, they were given a warning by the RCMP and released back to their parents.
No damage was reported from the fire and the train continued to run on the track adjacent the burnt area as the fire crew cleaned up. It took about an hour and a half to fully extinguish all the hot spots. Const. Price said the fire crew did a great job bringing the fire under control quickly. Given its proximity to homes, the damage could have been far worse.
According to some residents the site has been ravaged by fire several times in past years. Price and Lalonde were not able to confirm who owned the land.
Residents are urged to be cautious when burning piles in their yards.
