Handy with a cell phone

Vancouver City Councilor Larry Smith must have been happy he had a cell phone (and an open fire station) handy Monday, when he was called to dialing duty in a minor fire.

He posted to his Facebook page: “I made my first 911 call today to report a fire at an electric junction station off Mill Plain at noon today. I saw the smoke and a lady flagged me down; she did not have a cell. The fire was at the fence line and did not damage the powerlines. The fire department did its thing in about 5 minutes!!”

He later added in the comments: “I was hoping someone would drive by and offer to buy me a beer. No such luck!”

With this freak late summer heat wave and increased fire danger warnings in effect, this likely won’t be the last little blaze we have in Vancouver this week. Keep your fingers at the ready.