Barriere Fire Rescue extinguishes grass fire near Ashcroft, BC

On the night of June 19, 2026, Ashcroft Fire Rescue (AFR) received a dispatch for a grass fire at the junction of Cornwall Road and Highway 1 near the Esso Travel Centre. Before AFR could deploy crews, Barriere Fire Rescue arrived en route to the nearby Saw Creek wildfire and had already put out the blaze.

AFR Chief Josh White said he was initially surprised, noting the 158‑kilometre distance from Barriere, but realised the crew was heading to Lytton to assist with the larger fire. Local RCMP had set a roadblock when the Barriere unit passed, prompting the department to extinguish the grass fire and inform dispatch. White later visited the site to thank the Barriere firefighters, calling their actions “fantastic” and an example of effective mutual aid that could have prevented a larger incident.

The incident highlights inter‑departmental cooperation among fire services in British Columbia during a period of heightened wildfire activity.