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Snow sparks fires

North Okanagan firefighters dealing with several incidents of trees catching fire on power lines
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The weight of all this white stuff has sparked several fires in the North Okanagan.

There have been several incidents of tree branches on power lines.

BX-Swan Lake Fire Rescue responded to a call Friday shortly before 5 p.m. on Ranch Road.

“The branch was on fire and it burned off,” said fire chief Bill Wacey.

Crews attended a similar situation Thursday night on Barker Road.

“It was sparking and flashing,” said Wacey.

Neighbours assisted in the situation until crews arrived.

Armstrong firefighters were also busy attending to two similar incidents Friday.

“It’s just heavy snow,” said Wacey who points out how many trees are hanging over power lines due to the weight.

And it’s a situation crews are used to dealing with in November.

“It is very much early - we dont usually get this kind of thing until the end of the month,” said Wacey. “When was the last time you saw snow on Nov. 11?”

But crews haven’t been overwhelmed with accidents from the snow and ice on roads.

“We’ve only had a couple of accidents so that’s good,” said Wacey.



Jennifer Smith

About the Author: Jennifer Smith

Vernon has always been my home, and I've been working at The Morning Star since 2004.
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