How an 'airborne' fish sparked brush fire in British Columbia

In a bizarre turn of events, a small brush fire and power outage in British Columbia on Wednesday (July 30) were traced back to an unlikely source: a fish.

According to fire officials, the incident began not with lightning or a careless camper, but with an airborne fish dropped by an osprey.

The blaze, which scorched less than an acre, was quickly contained and extinguished thanks to the swift response of Ashcroft Fire Rescue, with assistance from nearby ranchers and employees from the British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority.

Following the firefighting efforts, investigators turned their attention to the cause of the fire. Surprisingly, it wasn’t faulty equipment that sparked the flames—it was a fish.

Authorities believe an osprey, a fish-eating bird of prey, was flying overhead when it dropped its catch midflight.

The fish struck power lines, producing sparks that ignited dry grass below, triggering the fire.

The nearest river, likely where the osprey nabbed its prey, is roughly two miles from the fire scene, leaving officials puzzled about why the bird released its meal.

Ashcroft Fire Rescue offered a possible explanation on their Facebook page, suggesting that the size of the fish, combined with the heat that day, “probably caused the rather tired bird to drop its catch.”

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They also floated a more whimsical theory: “It’s tired of raw fish and wanted to give cooked a try.”

The incident temporarily disrupted electricity in Ashcroft, a village of over 1,500 residents located about 210 miles northeast of Vancouver. As for the osprey, firefighters noted that “our prime suspect sustained no injuries in the incident and is still flying at large.” The fish, however, wasn’t so fortunate, ending up charred and likely overcooked.