How a falling fish sparked a fire and power outage in Canada's British Columbia

In a bizarre chain of events, a fish falling from the sky triggered a brush fire and power outage in the village of Ashcroft, British Columbia.

According to Ashcroft Fire Rescue, the incident began when an osprey—likely flying back from a nearby river about two miles away—accidentally dropped its catch mid-flight. The airborne fish struck power lines, creating sparks that ignited the dry grass below. The blaze scorched nearly half a hectare of land and temporarily knocked out electricity for over 1,500 residents.

Local firefighters, assisted by nearby ranchers and British Columbia Hydro workers, managed to contain and extinguish the fire using nearly 4,800 gallons of water.


An investigation confirmed that faulty equipment wasn't to blame—it was the fish. Authorities suspect the heat of the day and the weight of the catch may have led the osprey to let go. While talking to the New York Times, Ashcroft Fire Rescue humorously added another theory: “Maybe it was tired of raw fish and wanted to give cooked a try.”

While the bird escaped unharmed and remains “at large,” the fish was found charred at the site of the fire—overcooked, and far less fortunate.