2021-05-26
Fire in Milton could have been a lot worse
by KEVIN MCBAINLocal Journalism Initiative Reporter
A small fire located just off School Street in Milton May 16 could have been a lot worse.
The Liverpool Fire Department (LFD) was called into service at 11:12 a.m. to a small hay and woods fire located just off School Street in Milton. Members of the department were on scene for about two hours.
LFD Fire Captain John Long said an old hay bale caught fire, about a kilometre off the road, and spread into the woods. In the end, less than half a hectare of land was burned.
"It was a small fire as it were. It was just lucky it didn't happen later in the morning when the wind picked up," said Long.
Fifteen firefighters responded, along with three trucks and a Utility Task Vehicle (UTV). Two members of the Department of Lands and Forestry also attended the scene.
Most of the firefighters had to walk in from the road because their vehicles were unable to make it in to the fire. They took in their woods firefighting gear and set up their forestry pump in a small nearby pond. According to Long, the firefighters had to lay out about 152 metres of hose.
When LFD arrived, the hay bale itself was smouldering and much of the fire had tired itself out. He noted that there were tires in the area that were smoking and that there was a lot of garbage in the area. There were no structures near the area.
"It looked like a bit of a dumpsite," said Long.
Long wasn't sure of the cause of the fire, but he said there did not seem to be any evidence suggesting it started from natural causes. No one was on-site when the fire department arrived.
