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Two calls in two hours for Sechelt FD

Firefighting

Firefighters in Sechelt were busy Monday night, with two calls in the space of two hours.

The first call came in around 7:30 p.m.

Assistant chief Dwight Davison said a car parked in a semi-enclosed area of a condo complex on Trail Avenue had caught fire. Crews were able to extinguish the fire and prevent any damage to the vehicles parked nearby and the building.

The cause is still under investigation.

The second call, around 9:30, was for a fire at the Sechelt Landfill. Davison said a passerby spotted flames coming from inside the landfill boundary and called 911.

An area roughly 15 metres by 6 metres in the piled debris had caught fire. Davison said it was well away from any vegetation or trees and firefighters were able to contain the blaze.

The suspected cause is spontaneous combustion as a result of high temperatures and heat from the decomposing waste.

The Sunshine Coast Regional District said the landfill was open for business as usual on Tuesday morning.

Davison said with most of the Sunshine Coast at extreme fire danger rating, local fire departments are reminding people that a total burning ban is in force – meaning no beach fires, campfires or other burning. He said the Sechelt Fire Department’s weekend duty officer was busy with reports of illegal beach fires, which can carry a fine of over $1,000.