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NEED TO KNOW
- A wildfire in the Canadian town of Ashcroft, British Columbia, appeared to be sparked by a fish falling from the sky
- Once the fire was contained, the rescue team found a charred fish near the power line that appeared to start the wildfire
- The local fire rescue team surmised that a bird dropped its meal mid-flight, setting off the chain of events leading to the fire
A fish falling from the sky appeared to be the cause of a wildfire in a small Canadian town.
On Monday, Aug. 4, Ashcroft Fire Rescue shared details of the unusual occurrence in a release on Facebook, which was accompanied by a photo of a charred fish that is believed to have caused a brush fire in the Canadian town of Ashcroft, in British Columbia, on Wednesday, July 30.
Officials say that a bird dropped the fish on a power line after becoming exhausted in the heat. This led to “a landscape fire burning 6km (nearly 4 miles) south of town.”
According to the release, authorities found employees from BC Hydro, Ashcroft Ranch and Dawson Road Maintenance putting out the fire when they arrived at the scene.
“With the heavy fire being knocked down, Ashcroft fire was able to cool the perimeter and the burned area with Engine 3 and Tender 4,” the release read. “Ashcroft Ranch’s Tender was also on scene.”
The fire rescue team then discovered that a fish “had been dropped by a local osprey onto the hydro line causing embers to drop, along with the fish, to the dry grasses below.”
Ashcroft Fire Rescue/Facebook
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“A quick investigation revealed the cause of this fire. It was determined to be a fish, yes, you read that right, the fish had an incredible journey, considering the river is 3km east from the point of origin,” Ashcroft Fire and Rescue wrote on Facebook.
Investigators stated that they suspected the fish’s size and the heat caused the bird to get tired and drop its prey.
Ashcroft Fire Rescue/Facebook
“Or another suspicion could be that it’s tired of raw fish and wanted to give cooked a try,” authorities joked.
While officials said that they may never know the bird’s motive, they confirmed that their “prime suspect” was not injured “and is still flying at large.”
Meanwhile, in an update on Friday, Aug. 1, the rescue team said that the “suspect osprey” had been captured and “was in custody.”
“The judge has not granted bail as the suspect poses an extreme….flight risk!” they joked.
