Vernon Matters file photo

By Liam Verster

Vehicle Fire

Landfill workers stop vehicle fire from spreading

Oct 4, 2023 | 2:41 PM

A vehicle fire broke out at the Vernon Landfill on Wednesday.

Dispatch reports said the fire started in a vehicle that was on the weigh scales on Birnie Road at approximately 12:30 p.m.

The Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) confirmed with Vernon Matters that landfill workers were able to keep it from spreading to any parts of the facility.

“Our landfill staff acted really quickly and it could have been a lot worse if they weren’t very quick on the scene with their fire extinguishers,” Ashley Gregerson, Communications Officer for the RDNO.

BX Swan Lake fire crews were dispatched to the scene but were delayed due to having to take a detour around the construction zone of the Silver Star Multi-Use Path project.

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When crews did arrive on the scene, they found the fire mostly contained.

“So we did a safety check on it, confirmed it, and dealt with it to put it into a safety mode and that was it,” BX Swan Lake Fire Chief Bill Wacey told Vernon Matters.

The scene was deemed all clear shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Wacey stated the fire started in the engine compartment of a Dodge pickup, and it was likely an electrical fire.

The blaze did destroy the engine compartment and the hood of the truck, but Wacey said the fire did not spread and no one was injured.

The RDNO said the landfill remained open.