Bird in a wire leads to grass fire along Vernon’s Commonage Road

A fire sparked Sunday when a bird flew into a power wire was snuffed out in short order, due to the quick action of the public and responding fire crews.

According to Vernon Fire Rescue Services, the grass fire along Commonage Road was spotted at 6 p.m., near MacKay Reservoir, between Predator Ridge and the Bailey Road turnoff, and by the time crews arrived, it had reached about 50 feet by 100 feet in size.

It was knocked down fast, with no threat to buildings, firefighters said.

1:49 Six businesses lost in downtown Vernon fire

“Thanks to the public, this fire was quickly reported and firefighters were dispatched. Career firefighters who were stationed at Fire Station 3 (Predator Ridge) due to extreme wildfire risk conditions, were joined by newly activated auxiliary firefighters from the same station. Together, they knocked the fire down quickly and stopped it from spreading even further,” Deputy Fire Chief Mike Walroth said in a press release.

“This was an example of firefighters working together with an alert and vigilant community to quickly get on top of a potentially dangerous situation.”

It appears the fire was started by a bird flying into a power line.

0:50 Major structure fire in downtown Vernon destroys several businesses

VFRS asks anyone who sees a fire inside city limits to call 911 immediately. To report a wildfire, call 1-800-663-5555 toll-free or dial *5555 on a cellphone.