The Trans-Canada Highway was closed in Ashcroft for about an hour today when a vehicle fire spread into the grass.

Ashcroft fire chief Josh White says crews were called at about 10:30 this morning to the fire on Highway 1, about one kilometre south of Cornwall Road. He says the fire spread about 300 feet on each side of the highway.

“The one thing we had definitely working in our favour today was very minimal wind speed. It was running about five kilometres out of the south, so that helped with us fighting that fire. If the winds had been blowing as they were in 2017, this could’ve been a different turnout for us,” White says, referencing the devastating Elephant Hill wildfire from two summers ago that charred more than 190,000 hectares.

He says the BC Wildfire Service responded as well.

“They sent out two teams but were later on cancelled… But I believe they’re going to be coming out and just doing a follow-up check up on it, just to make sure everything is extinguished. It was within the Village of Ashcroft’s boundary, it was completely 100 per cent ours to handle, but forestry was definitely going to be lending a hand there.”

White points out this is the second vehicle fire in as many weeks along Highway 1 near that the Ashcroft fire department has responded to.

The previous was on July 29, which White says spread into the grass as well before his crews extinguished it.

“Maybe have an extinguisher on board your vehicle. I’m not sure if this was due to a lack of maintenance or anything, I can’t speculate. But the vehicles are overheating, just keep a close eye on your gauges as you’re driving through these higher temperatures. And just have your vehicle services regularly I think is the big thing, and maybe we can prevent these things a little bit better.”