Fire in the valley

On Thursday, July 28, I was up by the forks of the Don taking pictures of the Elevated Wetlands. They should be pumping water but they haven't done so all summer (that's another story). As I was leaving I noticed a plume of white smoke coming from the valley near the hydro wires. I got a little closer but became alarmed because the smoke cloud was growing larger. It could only be - grass fire! I called 911 but by that time 2000 other people had already called it in since it's also next to the DVP.

I became a little braver and took a path down the hill to the bottom. As I rounded a corner I saw the fire. It was creeping along a path burning grass and starting to lick at some small white pines. Fortunately there was little wind so it wasn't moving much. I took some photos (see below).

Sirens started wailing in the distance and came closer. It only took the fire department about 15 minutes to arrive, which is pretty good since the location is difficult to get to unless you know your way around.

Once they setup their hoses it didn't take long to put out.

I came by on Friday to inspect the damage. The burned area was less than half a hectare. The fire scorched all the grass. However it probably wasn't that hot because all the dog-strangling vine survived. The lower branches of some white pines were singed but otherwise the trees survived. I noticed a few pine cones on the ground that appeared open with seeds spilling out.

It will be interesting to come back later and find out what affect if any it has on this patch of ground.