A fish dropped onto a power line by an osprey caused a brush fire and a power outage in Ashcroft, British Columbia. Photo courtesy of Ashcroft Fire Rescue/Facebook
Firefighters in British Columbia determined a power outage and small brush fire were caused when an osprey dropped a fish onto a power line.
Ashcroft Fire Rescue said on social media that firefighters responded alongside utility workers from British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority as well as nearby ranchers when a brush fire broke out near Highway 1, about 3.7 miles south of Ashcroft.
The flames were extinguished and firefighters quickly determined the fire had been caused when a fish struck a power line located more than a mile from the nearest body of water.
“The 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,” Fire Rescue officials wrote.
“We do suspect by the size of the fish and the heat of the day probably caused the rather tired bird to drop its catch. Or another suspicion could be that it’s tired of raw fish and wanted to give cooked a try,” the post said.
Officials said the bird of prey was identified and “sustained no injuries in the incident.”
The impact also knocked out power for some Ashcroft-area customers.
