Kamloops firefighters quickly contain hedge fire, but cause remains a mystery – Kamloops News

No cause will be determined after a cedar hedge fire late Monday night at a Kamloops shopping center nearly spread to a local restaurant.

The fire broke out just before midnight in a green area just outside Earls near Summit Drive at Columbia Street West.

Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Cail told Castanet that Kamloops Fire Rescue crews extinguished the fire about four minutes after the call. He said crews cleared the scene around 1 a.m. and investigators returned to the scene Tuesday morning.

KFR Capt. Jeff Pont said the file is now closed and the cause of the fire is considered undetermined.

“Because cedars burn so hot, we can’t determine exactly what caused the fire,” Pont said.

“In outdoor fires like this, any evidence that remains is usually burned, so it’s really hard for us to pinpoint the exact cause.”

Pont said KFR would not comment on whether the fire was deemed suspicious, noting it could have been the result of something unintentional, such as a discarded cigarette butt.

He said the fire started in cedar hedges outside the restaurant and spread along the patio before firefighters extinguished it.

Pont said if the fire had spread to several larger cedars, the flames could have spread to the building. The only damage to the building was to the stone wall in front of the restaurant.

“It is worth pointing out to Kamloops residents that cedars are highly flammable and should be removed around buildings,” Pont said.