Firefighters quickly extinguish Okanagan Falls brushfire

The aftermath of a brushfire in Okanagan Falls is pictured on Saturday, June 8. (BC Wildfire Service)

Firefighters made quick work of a brushfire at a farm in Okanagan Falls, B.C., on Saturday afternoon.

According to the BC Wildfire Service, the blaze was discovered sometime before 3:30 p.m. A large plume of smoke was visible from Skaha Lake, south of Penticton.

BCWS personnel, the Okanagan Falls Volunteer Fire Department, and other local crews mobilized to tackle the fire.

At 5:30 p.m., the BCWS classified the blaze as under control at 1.45 hectares in size.

The agency said crews dug a guard around the fire’s perimeter. “With the resources currently on site we don’t anticipate this fire growing beyond its current size,” it wrote on social media.

Local orchard owner Glen Hall told Castanet the blaze started after a spark from an abrasive saw flew into the brush and caught fire.

“There were three of us available to stomp and shovel, but it was absolutely not possible to stop it,” he said.

Hall told Castanet the situation serves as a reminder to make sure there’s no wildfire fuel available to burn in the hillsides or around homes.

The fire spread into the grass and some trees and got close to buildings, but no structures were damaged before firefighters got a guard in place, according to Castanet.