Submitted by RDEK

Members of the Edgewater Fire Department extinguished a suspicious fire in the waste bin at the  Edgewater Transfer Station overnight. 

“When we arrived on scene, the bin was fully engulfed in flames and our crew did an exceptional job of quickly extinguishing the fire and preventing what could have been a much more serious situation,” explains Columbia Valley Rural Fire & Rescue Service Deputy Chief Drew Sinclair.  

Five firefighters and two pieces of apparatus responded to the call at approximately 11:30 p.m. Monday night.  

The cause of the fire is believed to be a warm ash barrel that had been thrown in the bin with a  number of propane tanks. “This is a deliberate, destructive act that not only put our firefighters at risk, but the wider community,” stresses Sinclair. “These ash barrels are at our sites to prevent  fires and to provide a safe option for people to dispose of ashes and it is unfathomable why  someone would throw one in the bin with propane tanks.” 

The public is reminded that the fire hazard rating in the region is extreme and fires – including campfires, fireworks and outdoor burning of any kind – are prohibited across the entire Province of B.C. 

The RCMP has been contacted and anyone who may have noticed anything at the Edgewater  Transfer Station site Monday evening is asked to follow up with the Columbia Valley RCMP or  Windermere Fire Department.