By Jess Wind (The Cascade) and Katie Stobbart (Photos)
The evidence is still out there if you take a walk to the corner of College Drive and Gillis Avenue behind C building — the cedar hedges were early victims of dry summer weather.
On June 5 the Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service responded to a small fire outside UFV in which a number of cedar hedges lining the townhouse complex caught fire.
The trucks responded quickly after a resident attempted to put the fire out with a garden hose. Smoke and ash drifted through the parking lots, drawing a small crowd of onlookers.
Ken, one of the officers responding, explained the more effective process of using foam to penetrate the ground and surrounding area before dousing with water.
“We get a lot of [fires] now and right through summer,” he said, suggesting a disposed cigarette was a possible cause of the fire. “You just get a breeze like this … it doesn’t take much.”
Cedar hedges dry out quickly and are frequently planted in beds lined with bark mulch. Dry weather, a light breeze and something like a still-smouldering cigarette easily lead to fire; the AFRS reminds everyone to use caution through the summer months with regards to discarded cigarettes. As well, the city-wide burning ban is in effect from now until September 30. 
