CORNWALL, Ontario – A fire in a wooded area near the Cornwall Golf and Country Club saw firefighters dragging hoses into the bush and the use of a sprinkler system to keep embers at bay.
Witnesses said the in-ground sprinkler system was turned on at hole seven at the club as fire burned through a nearby wooded area in Menard Estates in South Glengarry.
Trees were burning and smoke filled the area, said resident Claude Bissonnette.
“They had sprinklers on the golf hole to prevent the fire damaging the green,” he said, adding strong winds were fanning the flames.
Firefighters tapped into the golf club’s sprinkler system to access much-needed water to fight the fire, witnesses added.
It’s unclear what sparked the fire, but tinder-dry conditions prevail in many rural areas. Both South Glengarry and South Stormont have introduced burn bans.
Bissonnette said neighbours got into the act, helping firefighters who were forced to drag hoses deep into the bush.
“Neighbours were helping to pull on the hose so the fireman could reach the fire,” he said.
Bissonnette said firefighters were still at the scene at 7 p.m. but the blaze appeared largely extinguished.
Damage was contained to trees and grass in the wooded area at the end of a cul de sac known as Sutherland Drive.
The fire stopped many golfers in their tracks, as well as neighbours, to watch the spectacle.
Some firefighters were seen using golf carts to move around the area.
Bissonnette said he doesn’t believe anyone was hurt.
South Glengarry fire officials have so far been unavailable for comment.
