Provincial posted May 30, 2018 @ 06:30am by Josh Duncan

Human caused wildfire is burning Hope’s historic Ladner Creek Trestle Bridge

A small wildfire in Hope is burning a historic B.C. trestle bridge.

The Ladner Creek Trestle Bridge went up in flames on Sunday and the BC Wildfire Service lists the 0.2 hectare fire as human caused.

Yesterday one careless person and their cigarette burnt down a bridge that's been standing beautifully for over 100 years. It only took 2 hours for the forest below to fill with fire and smoke enough that we were asked to evacuate the area. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR SMOKES AND YOUR FIRES THIS SUMMER. #BCWildfire #LadnerCreekTrestle

A post shared by mallory mogg (@malloryy_m) on May 28, 2018 at 10:32am PDT

According to witnesses who were in the area on Sunday, the fire was caused by a discarded cigarette butt.

“Yesterday, one careless person and their cigarette burnt down a bridge that’s been standing beautifully for over 100 years,” wrote Mallory Mogg on Instagram, the caption accompanying a number of photos of the burning bridge.

“It only took two hours for the forest below to fill with fire and smoke enough that we were asked to evacuate the area.”

Last Sunday a friend and I went out to the Ladner creek trestle for the first time to see it with our own eyes, only to find out minutes before someone tossed a cigarette butt on to the historic railroad bridge which ended up catching on fire and spreading to the forest below 😔 Such a shame for such a beautiful sight 🛤🌲. Just a reminder to dispose of your cigarettes appropriately🚭‼️

A post shared by Dylan Heringa (@dheringa) on May 29, 2018 at 10:10pm PDT

According to CBC, steep terrain is making it difficult for fire crews to fight the small fire.

The Ladner Creek Trestle Bridge, which was completed in 1916, was part of the Kettle Valley Railway that travelled through the Coquihalla pass.

It’s been out of service for quite some time, but its proximity to the Coquihalla Highway has made it a popular spot for hikers and adventurers over recent years.

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