Dixon Dam Road fire out

Photo: Darren Handschuh

A potential disaster was averted after fire broke out on Dixon Dam Road in Vernon, Tuesday evening.

Crews hit the fire fast and hard, and it is now in the mop-up stages. Not even a wisp of smoke could be seen rising from the charred logs and foliage Wednesday morning.

The heavily wooded area is surrounded by homes, with a few being less than 100 metres from where the fire burned.

BX-Swan Lake firefighters attacked the fire from the ground, Tuesday, and air tankers and helicopters hit it from above.

“It was a good 'out' last night,” said Fire Capt. Bill Wacey of the combined effort to quickly extinguish the blaze.

The department had 30 people on the fire line, along with an initial attack crew from the B.C. Forest Service.

“We had a great response from the firefighters and the IA crews,” he said.

Wacey said the fire was into a Rank 2 or 3, meaning there was fairly aggressive fire behaviour.

“It's pretty treacherous terrain down there,” he said from the scene, Wednesday. “There are lots of canyons and cliffs.”

There are also numerous dead falls in the area, making navigating the fire line in the dark that much more of a challenge.

Crews fought the flames from the ground until air tankers arrived to drop fire retardant on the area. They pulled back until the aerial bombardment was done before moving back in with shovels, picks, chainsaws and water lines.

The bulk of the crews were pulled out about 11 p.m. and returned early Wednesday to finish the guard and mop up any hot spots.

The blaze started a couple hundred metres from the road, and Wacey said the cause is still under investigation.