Witnesses say it was a cigarette butt that started a fire on the historic Ladner Creek Trestle Bridge – a popular lookout destination for avid hikers and tourists.
The bridge fire is one of two wildfires burning around Hope and the Fraser Canyon, the other being a one-hectare fire in Boston Bar caused by a campfire. Jeanne Larsen with the B.C. Wildfire Service said neither of the fires appears to be endangering any lives or ‘values’, the term the service uses for homes and structures of value.
The fire at the historic trestle bridge has been burning since May 27, not an unusual time for a fire as complex as this one said Larsen.
“The trestle framework is made out of steel, the cross pieces at the top where the train would go over is very old wood and it was rotten…Somehow that caught on fire, that wood. That’s the only part of the trestle that’s burning and those burning pieces are dropping down into the valley bottom,” Larsen said.
Fighting this fire is complex, Larsen added, and crews must be very cautious in case of hot, dry and windy weather conditions.
“We can’t put our people out on that trestle, it’s just not safe in any way. So the best they can do is begin below the trestle and as the burning material drops down and ignites the little round fires, they are there to extinguish,” she said.
Fire crews were unable to build a fireguard around the perimeter of the fire because of the challenging terrain —rock and steep ground. The fire is now classed as held, firefighters are not currently attending the fire but it will be monitored by B.C. Wildfire, Larsen said.
The cause of the bridge fire is unknown at this point, Larsen said. Witnesses have posted on social media, stating the cause was a cigarette.
EDIT **My boyfriend found out that the Ladner creek trestle bridge burnt because of a careless person that tossed a...
Posted by Taylor Malanchuk on Monday, May 28, 2018
“Yesterday one careless person and their cigarette burnt down a bridge that’s been standing beautifully for over 100 years,” Mallory Mogg posted on Instagram.
The trestle bridge is part of the historic Kettle Valley Railway, 29 kilometres north of Hope along the Coquihalla highway.
The second fire in Boston Bar, between Railway Avenue and the Fraser River, was discovered by the wildfire service on May 21. It is also classed as held, it never posed a serious issue for fire supression crews and there are no residences or other values affected.