Nelson Fire Rescue responded to three fires on the weekend, including a small blaze at the Husky gas station on Nelson Avenue.
The first was on Saturday in a wood pile that was stacked close to a house. The officer on shift responded in an engine and assisted the owner with extinguishing the fire.
It is suspected that carelessly discarded smoking material was the cause.
On Sunday crews responded to back to back fires. The first fire was reported as smoke coming from a garbage can at Lion’s Park. An officer responded in an engine and was able to extinguish the fire using a small amount of water. Upon investigation it was determined that someone had dumped their barbeque briquettes in the garbage and they had started the rest of the materials in the can on fire.
As crews were finishing cleaning up from the garbage can call a report was received of a fire with large flames at the Husky Station on Nelson Avenue in a planter, approximately 10 feet from the pumps. The on-duty crew responded with an additional member called in from home.
When the initial crew arrived a small fire was observed in the planter box that was up against the building. The fire was quickly knocked down and crews checked to confirm that there was no extension to the interior of the building. The cause of the fire was determined to be carelessly discarded smoking material.
Although the damage estimate for these three fires was minimal the potential for the fires to have spread to the structures was significant.
In addition to the three fires Nelson Fire Rescue also responded to numerous other medical and public service calls on the weekend.
As wildfire season approaches Nelson Fire Rescue reminds everyone that cigarettes should only be discarded in appropriate fire safe containers and that the material from your barbeque or fireplace should always be put in a fire proof container and wet down. Never put these materials in your garbage.