The Williams Lake Fire Department extinguished three small fires beside the Walmart yesterday afternoon.
The Fire Department was called to the scene of three separate wildland bush fires on the slope beside the store at around 3 pm, according to Assistant Fire Chief Cory Boyd.
“When our first responding Duty Truck got there, the firefighter was able to slow the fires down right away with a pump on his truck. Then our first duty engine and tender arrived, and the team was able to completely extinguish the flames.”
Boyd said during the firefighters’ walk arounds and inspections of the scene, they were unable to determine the cause, though the fire was deemed suspicious.
“There were no signs of any kind of encampment, or anybody living back there, and unfortunately, there were no witnesses, and no direct signs of a cause. At this time, we have no suspects.”
Despite the warmth and dryness in the area, Boyd said there was still “quite a bit” of green in the area that slowed the fire’s progress.
He also added that Walmart has a good fire seperation patch, and limited combustible materials in the back. He said the store would have been “well-protected” even if the situation had become a larger wildland fire.
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