Slash pile causes fire, buildings saved by quick action from neighbor

Thursday saw at least five different fires in the area, including one that almost reached a house near Sagle because of a slash pile at her neighbor’s home.

Pamela Simone, who lives in the Sagle area, said she was in her home when she looked outside and saw a fire on her neighbor’s property and an elderly woman carrying buckets of water to try and quench the flames.

The woman, named Tressy, lived down the road and knew the neighbor, Simone said. The woman had gone on a drive — one of her first outings in months after receiving her COVID-19 vaccination.

“She had tried to call the fire department, but her phone was dead,” Simone said. “This little 80- or 90-year-old lady was pouring buckets of water on the [neighbor’s] propane tank.”

The fire started, Simone said, because of a slash pile her neighbor had thought was out. The neighbor had watered it and thought it was safe before going to work, only for the fire to re-ignite later.

The fire burned a few acres, Simone said, but because of Tressy’s action, and help from the fire department, the buildings were saved. Even so, she wants people to know fire danger is high.

Although many people think it’s safe to burn, dried grasses and debris left over from winter months make extremely flammable and fast-burning fuels, said interim Selkirk Fire Chief Dale Hopkins.

“It’s been cool and it’s been rainy, so they think there’s a very low fire danger,” he said. “I think it’s just people aren’t aware that these light fuels are as flammable as they are.”

Although early spring may seem safe, fires still require careful attention, he said.

“The reality is, in the spring all the dead fuels that lay unattended on the ground over the winter ignite very easily,” Hopkins said. “We have a heightened fire danger until the grass grows and things get green.”

People who are burning should have a shovel, water and hose at the ready, he said.

Simone said she’s mostly glad there was no property damage, and that her three horses are safe.

“I wanted to thank [Tressy], I wanted to thank the fire department,” she said. “It could have been so much worse.”