Kamloops firefighters and residents were able to stop a grass fire from doing serious damage near Sa-Hali Secondary School last night.

The fire was burning about one third of a hectare, and it was in close proximity to the Trans Canada Highway, the school and a number of houses.

Platoon Captain Darryl Cooper says there were no structures at risk, and residents were quick to attack the fire with garden hoses.

“If the winds had been a little stronger, it might have caught a fence on fire,” he said. “There’s some large pines in that area. There was obviously some concerns for us if it got any bigger.”

“When we arrived on scene, it was like a Rank 2 – fast moving grass fire but no trees involved, no buildings involved. Really happy with the outcome.”

As for a cause?

“Talked to a gentleman, he said his friends admitted to it. They feel terrible, they didn’t mean to start the fire obviously, but they were sitting having a smoke and buddy wanted to show his lighter to him and it caught that cotton fluff on fire,” Cooper added.

He says things might look lush and green, but it is very dry out there, and they appreciate the help from the public.

“It’s just like the same as having an extinguisher in your home. By all means, if you have a fire in your home or if you see a grass fire, try knocking it down. But if it doesn’t look like it is working, do not put yourself in any danger. Get out of the way, we’ll come in and we’ll hit it with our big water.”

Cooper says firefighters responded to the fire around 8:10 p.m.