Image Credit: BC Wildfire Service

By Kate Bouey / Vernon Matters

BC WILDFIRES

Bullet believed to have sparked wildfire near Lumby

Jul 16, 2019 | 4:58 PM

LUMBY, B.C. — It’s the first time he’s seen a wildfire caused by a bullet but the Lumby fire chief said that appears to be what happened Sunday afternoon when a small wildfire sparked south of Lumby.

Lumby Fire Chief Tony Clayton said crews went to the scene on Nicklen Road and doused the three metre by three metre blaze.

“It ended up being just outside of our fire district so we responded with the approval of [the Ministry of] Forestry and extinguished it,” Clayton said. “It was a stump (on fire) that was spreading to grass.”

Not knowing what to expect, the fire department went to the scene with eight firefighters and four apparatus, including an engine, two tenders and a bush truck, after getting the OK from the B.C. Wildfire Service.

In the end, only the engine was used to put out the small blaze.

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“It was human-caused but accidental,” Clayton said, explaining the fire started by people using a rifle for target practice. He said they stayed at the scene and actually tried to control the fire until crews arrived.

The fire chief said it was a surprise to see the bullet started the fire.