The quick actions of a neighbour may have stopped a brush fire from burning out of control in Victoria's Oaklands area.
On Tuesday afternoon, Leon Rode was putting something in his trailer when he heard a strange sound. He went to investigate and noticed flames licking up an embankment and quickly spreading to the grass near his apartment's parking lot.
“I heard this sound that sounded like one of those sprinklers starting up or something,” Rode said. “I went and looked over the edge and there was flames crackling. All this dry grass just started going up [so I] ran and got the hose.”
The fire department was still en route but when they arrived, they say the flames were about five feet high. The blaze could have been a lot worse if Rode hadn’t jumped into action.
“Yeah, this could spread pretty quickly,” Victoria firefighter Rich Sulsbury said. “With the neighbours helping out, it made our job easier.”
The fire started in some dry brush along Hillside Avenue near Cedar Hill Road. Firefighters believe is was caused by a discarded cigarette butt and are renewing warnings about ongoing dry conditions.
“I think any time of year, but particularly right now, we've got to be very careful with cigarettes and whatnot because they can have an effect,” Sulsbury said.
Firefighters finished putting out the fire and remained on scene to make sure there were no additional flare ups.
Nobody was injured in the fire.
