Quick response from the Bowhorn Bay Volunteer Fire Department and several community members helped avert a potential disaster in Bowser on Friday (July 2).
At 6:35 p.m., Bow Horn Bay VFD and RCMP members were called to Crosley Road at Cowland Road in Bowser, where a pickup truck was reportedly ablaze on Crown-owned land.
Fire chief Clayton Bucoviz said the fire extended 10 yards in each direction from the source, into the bush.
“The truck was completely burned, there was nothing left,” he said.
Although the blaze was not difficult to find, its location prevented firefighters from bringing any trucks directly up to it, despite having one engine and two water tenders nearby.
Bucoviz said they had to hike the water approximately 500 metres to the scene.
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It took 10 Bow Horn Bay VFD firefighters, one BC Wildlife Service member and two community members approximately three hours to put the blaze out. The community members were able to transport garbage cans full of water from the tenders on their ATVs to the firefighters on scene.
Once the fire was out, Bucoviz said the truck frame was towed away later that night.
He said the fire posed a significant risk of starting a full-blown forest fire, especially given the current dry conditions, as well as further risk to properties close by.
In an email to PQB News, Sgt. Stephen Rose with the Oceanside RCMP stated the truck fire appeared to have been purposely set, although given the damage, police are unclear if it was stolen since the registered owner has not yet been identified.
If anyone has information on the truck or fire itself, they can contact the Oceanside RCMP at 250-248-6111, citing police file 2021-6857.