I’ve identified the likely cause of the Spryfield fire: a campfire on a small rise overlooking McIntosh Run, the creek that runs south of Spryfield.
This afternoon I spoke with some of the residents who reported the fire and, following their general directions, hiked back behind Roaches Pond, a body of water just off Herring Cove Road. I followed a utility service road in a northward direction, then trekked through the brush to the east. It didn’t take long to find the charred forest.
I then hiked around the perimeter of the burned area, in a counter-clockwise direction. The brush is pretty thick in the unburned areas, and the burned area is thick with fallen trees. It was rough going, but I followed the burn around to McIntosh Run and soon found likely place where the fire jumped the creek.
Following along the western bank of McIntosh Run in a northwesterly direction, I eventually came across what is probably the cause of the fire. An abandoned firefighters’ hose lays nearby.
It was an incredibly stupid place to build a campfire—in the hollowed out ground left from a rotting tree stump—but I can see how someone would want to camp at the site. It’s on a rise over the stream, and looking north (upstream), McIntosh Run spreads out into a more lake-like vista. I could hear the creek burbling as it narrowed below me.
The fire pit was about ten feet from where the burn area begins, and fans out from there. I could see how the fire matched the terrain in a wind blowing to the south from the fire pit.
I should note that as I was hiking around the area, I found lots of other old camp fires, also very carelessly tended. For example, the camp fire below was simply started on the ground, with no attempt made to clear the area of dried pine needles and other forest litter.
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You should be very careful when you suggest the igination point. What is your backround. Do you have any fire experience. I can tell from your last pic of a camp fire that it was in the winter, and was on the top of snow. Not how it sits. Fire is a very tricky thing and can be confused very easly. I know where the igination point was, as i was one of the firest firefighters into this event. Where did you find this?
People like you impeed our work. Goig into a closed area while an active investigation is ongoing. You have just sucessfully contaminated a potencial crime scene. Shame on you.
Closed? Show me that order. I’ve talked to city fire officials, read all the press releases and newspaper articles, no mention of any closure beyond Fortress Road. Heck, there were probably 30 people walking around the woods out there just while I was there. If somebody was worried about it, maybe they should’ve posted a sign or something.
And, in fact, I have plenty of experience with fires.
Before jumping to conclusions perhaps we should wait for the highly trained and qualified investigators who are currently working to assess the point of ignition to offer thier opinions on where and how the fire started. I’m sure going out for a nice stroll in the forest and playing Nancy Drew was fun Tim, but I doubt you have the knowledge and skills to accurately pinpoint how and where this blaze began.
Although, the pictures are very telling. People setting campfires without being careful of what they’re doing. You don’t need a bloody forensics degree to see that. They were not put out appropriately, the ashes unstirred, and put directly on the ground (in and around dead fall no less). That’s just plain stupid, and lazy.
Show some respect, jackasses. If fmp_26 was one of the first firefighters on the scene and fought the blaze, you should be more grateful. They risked their lives and worked their asses off. You should be ashamed of picking on him/her for a simple spelling mistake. And he/she is right about you impeeding the investigation. Use some common sense, people.
It’s the internet. People spell crappily all the time. SHame on you.
Hey Neo24! Are you serious? Get a grip please. This is a person who is willing to risk their life to maybe someday save yours. Have a little respect.
You need a tough skin to say anything around this forum!
You did good Tim, nice job. Your conclusion is probably correct. High winds make points of fire origin a fairly obvious call. I doubt you “contaminated’ the crime scene one iota. It was obvious the fire crew were there already and left a hose behind. The fire investigators should already have been through the area long before you. If there was any reason they needed the crime scene to be preserved any longer, they should have taped it off.
As muct as i haet badd spelnig, this isnot the plase too comlpian abuot it, fulks.
Shut up, Neo24, please shut up……if you have a problem with the way the investigation is being handled take it up with whoever is in charge.
Why do YOU believe Tim has enough experience investigating fires but you don’t believe fmp_26 is a real firefighter?
And based on your pissy little comments, I seriously doubt your courage to fight a fire. No, not firefighter would be willing to rush into a burning building, but they do work their asses off and do risk their lives…..now go back to your little cubicle and download pr0n.
p.s.-yeh, you’re right about impede. I made that mistake too. But yer still a wanker….
Well written article. I agree with Tim’s conclusion – after his extensive research, that somewhere a fire may have started the Spryfield fire… 😉
Tim worked on fires for many years in California– both as a reporter and as an investigator for a lawyer involved in forest fire cases.
As per the other article readers jumped all over him http://www.thecoast.ca/RealityBites/archiv…
Tim WAS a fire investigator back in the day.
*The more you know*
what ever the case it seems to be clear that people need to take more caution when lighting camp fires in and around HRM. Porters lake and then spryfeild.
If you are going to have a camp fire, dig a small hole to build the fire in. enclos the fire with rocks. clear the immediate area around the fire, and keep a shovel, pail or somthing to put the fire out with.
interesting article, Is it possible this fire started from more than one source?
Come on people. This isn’t journalism. It’s the Coast. Move along.
Wow! I thought if perhaps people would qualify statements or posts. It would save a ton of flames..no pun intended.
EG:, I have had extensive, confirmable, fire investigation experience. This experience leads me to offer the following qualified advice;
Fire investigation is a extremely complicated, tedious, time consuming and dirty job. It involves many departments, mountains of paperwork, interviews, followups et al.
It is much too tempting to draw a quick conclusion based on “the obvious”. I can recall more than a few investigations where I pretty much knew how the fire had started, only to be proven wrong..by good science, meticulous investigative procedures, and dogged detirmination by seasoned, and highly trained investigators.
I am not qualified to comment on the Spryfield case, as I only know what is reported in the media. I, as most of you, are not in the investigative loop. We all know what ASSume does ;~)
My two cents in keeping future blazes from creating so much damage? Clean up debris after storms, and keep the underbrush and dry debris near you properties clear. One only needs to see how much is still left over from Juan, to see the probability of a repeat elsewhere. No matter how much you spend on fire prevention education, there will always be boneheads getting drunk in the woods around your homes and staring fires. Do what you can to stop it from causing you and your neighbours grief. To count on increased spending on policing these areas, is to start a whole new debate on tax hikes.
P.S. about the firehose thing…to most a random rolled up “abandoned” firehose, did you ever consider that is a fire direction marker, a perimeter or start indicator left by FF’s for investigators or follow up crews? Think.
I do recall my comments being posted here, but apparently free speech isn’t allowed, so they were removed!
Flyingbrick, you say it right. Tim, not so much.
Let’s home my comments this time make it up and stay on the forum! BS!!! Guess Tim should have read his story on FOIPOP…I wonder why Tim thinks the same censoring is not allowed there, but can be applied when the Coast doesn’t like what somebody has to say?
Hmmm. Flybrick’s sentence: “Think.”, got me thinking……
It may be that the firebugs were actually contentious folk (but developed in a shallow gene-pool). They brought that hose into the woods for fire control just in case their campfire got out of control.
They started the fire and things were going pretty good until they realized they forgot the water pump. They quickly went back home to get the pump to set up the stand-by extinguishing system, but on the way back to the campsite some cops were restricting entry into the area. Later they found out some idiot started a forest fire. They couldn’t understand why somebody would go and do that, a simple campfire was enjoyable enough!
You should forget climate change Tim, it’s not the issue with these fires.
that area is very prone to fires…i lived out there my whole life..i once had to run for my life one time when i was fishing at coalpitt lake……that whole area is all dead trees…one little piece of glass catches the sun wrong and poof FIRE…so who knows what could have started it