Chilliwack fire crews battled a large tire fire on a dairy farm in Greendale Tuesday afternoon.
Almost all fire units were called out to the scene just before lunch at Toop Farms on Yale Road West.
Reporter @PeeJayAitch is on scene at a large tire fire in Greendale. @BlackPressMedia pic.twitter.com/dtiUj0Ia0x
— Chilliwack Progress (@TheProgress) April 2, 2019
Thick, black smoke was visible from several kilometres away as far as downtown Chilliwack, and proved to be a visual distraction on nearby Highway 1.
The fire began as a small, legal, controlled burn on the farm property but owner Devan Toop told The Progress that wind swept flames 50 feet away into a tire storage area.
Toop said the controlled burn was actually being monitored by his father, a former volunteer fire hall chief with 26 years of service.
Yale Road was closed briefly near Adams Road as fire crews got the fire under control, which they did in about 45 minutes. By 1:30 p.m. crews cleared the scene.
Devan Toop is a sixth generation dairy farmer, and the farm was a stop on the 17th annual Chilliwack Agriculture Tour on Sept. 21, 2018.
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@PeeJayAitch
paul.henderson@theprogress.com
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