Good Samaritans praised for dousing grassfire along Highway 33 near Kelowna

Joe Rich firefighters didn’t have to worry about a small grassfire that sparked along Highway 33 yesterday since residents had already taken care of the blaze.

“By the time we got on scene, there were people that had stopped and a resident with a water truck that lived up there that stopped and pretty much had it out,” said deputy fire chief Greg Robson.

The cause is unknown and the fire was located roughly 20 feet down an embankment, he said. The fire was reported last night, July 13, before 7 p.m. in the Joe Rich area along the highway.

“The residents did a great job,” Robson said. “It’s right on the highway, people stopped because they saw the smoke.”

READ MORE: Right place, right time: Workers on way home put out North Okanagan grassfire

Firefighters remained on scene for about 45 minutes to ensure it was out, Robson said.

“The secret to any of these grass fires is to get on it fast,” he said.

This season, Joe Rich has been fairly quiet in terms of fires off of the highway, he said, adding this was the only one so far he could recall.

Photos shared of the incident online were also met with praise from the Joe Rich community. A Facebook post gathered nearly 130 reactions and 30 comments as of July 14. It was shared the previous night.

Earlier this week, Okanagan Restoration Service workers were also praised for their efforts in putting out a fire along Highway 97A in the North Okanagan.

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