A large orange sodium-vapour light, combined with steam rising from an apartment roof, caused an unusual false alarm for Nelson Fire & Rescue Services.
Two separate 911 calls came in reporting a fire on the roof of 104 Morgan Street at about 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 15, said a fire department release.
“The sun was shining and there was vapour rising off the fascia on the building, so it must have looked like smoke,” said Fire Chief Len MacCharles who, along with six other firefighters, responded to the call.
“Upon arrival of the first crew, no flame or smoke was observed, but a large orange sodium-vapour light was illuminated on the roof of the building,” said a press release. “
“The first arriving crew gained access to the roof and to the elevator access room to investigate if a fire was actually present. Crews found no fire or smoke and suspect that callers mistook the orange light and rising steam from the rooftop for flames and smoke,” stated the release.
Despite being a false alarm, NFRS expressed gratitude to the public for the notification of a possible fire, adding, “It is better to call early and find no fire, than to call later only to find a substantially-increased one.”
This was the 338th call for the NFRS in 2018.