A fish falling from the sky sparked a wildfire and knocked out power in a rural area of British Columbia, Canada, fire officials confirmed.
The blaze broke out near the village of Ashcroft, where firefighters were called to respond. When they arrived, they found ranchers and BC Hydro workers already battling the flames. Roughly 4,800 gallons of water were used to put it out.
But what shocked the crew wasn’t the size of the fire — it was what started it. Not lightning. Not human error. A fish.
“A quick investigation revealed the cause of this fire,” Ashcroft Fire officials wrote in a Facebook post. “It was determined to be a fish, yes, you read that right, the fish had an incredible journey, considering the river is 3km east from the point of origin.”
Officials say an osprey—a large bird of prey that hunts fish—dropped its catch onto a power line. The impact sent sparks and embers flying into dry brush, triggering the fire.
“We do suspect by the size of the fish and the heat of the day probably caused the rather tired bird to drop its catch,” the post said. “Or another suspicion could be that it’s tired of raw fish and wanted to give cooked a try.”
The bird responsible didn’t stick around but appears to have escaped unharmed.
“It has been verified that our prime suspect sustained no injuries in the incident and is still flying at large,” officials said.
The fire scorched the surrounding land but caused no injuries. Photos showed blackened patches of earth where the fire spread before crews got it under control.
Ashcroft Fire Rescue closed their report with thanks to all involved.
“The employees from BC Hydro, Ashcroft Ranch, Dawson Road Maintenance, our fantastic dispatchers, and the wonderful employers in Ashcroft that allow us to drop what we are doing and attend these calls, you are what makes putting these fires out possible! Thank you all!”
