If lightning and human-caused fires werensa国际传媒檛 enough this season, a hapless squirrel was at the centre of the latest fire attended to by the 100 Mile Fire Rescue team.

On Sept. 5, a squirrel raced up a hydro pole along 103 Mile Lake Road. Fire Chief Roger Hollander says the creature hit the transformer on the power pole and was electrocuted, falling to the ground, where a grass fire quickly started.

A potentially destructive scenario was turned into a happy one, when a quick thinking neighbour saw the fire across the street.

sa国际传媒淲e heard the bang, the power went out and then about five minutes later I looked out the window and the whole front was on fire, so I just ran over, picked up the hose,sa国际传媒� says Jim McMahon.

The fire had grown several meters by then, stretching across the front of the lawn and approaching the next door neighboursa国际传媒檚 yard, as well as some nearby trees.

sa国际传媒淚 was thinking, sa国际传媒楿h-oh. Thatsa国际传媒檚 not good,sa国际传媒檚a国际传媒� says McMahon.

He says he headed off the fire with the hose, preventing it from spreading any further.

sa国际传媒淚 stopped a bunch of it first, slowed it down because it was burning pretty good over here, and then up under the tree.sa国际传媒�

The fire was out by the time 100 Mile Fire Rescue arrived. McMahon was still watering the grass down but says it only took a couple of minutes to put out the fire.

While the squirrel knocked out power to the surrounding areas, BC Hydro arrived on scene shortly after the fire department and power was restored to the community shortly after.

In a season where wildfires have spread in a matter of days and evacuated communities, including the 103 for several weeks, McMahon says theysa国际传媒檙e lucky.

sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檙e lucky. Wesa国际传媒檙e lucky sa国际传媒� because it was up under the tree here, wesa国际传媒檙e lucky it didnsa国际传媒檛 get into the tree and carry off, because everyonesa国际传媒檚 lawns are so dry,sa国际传媒� says McMahon.

sa国际传媒淲e just got really lucky, thatsa国际传媒檚 all.sa国际传媒�