A fire that sent black smoke above the Kalamalka Beach area Friday evening is the latest in a series of recent fires to be deemed suspicious in Coldstream.

Coldstream fire chief Fiona Morgenthaler-Code said Saturday morning that the July 12 fire was "very suspicious in nature," and it's a continuation of a concerning trend. 

"It is the seventh suspicious fire we've had in Coldstream in the last few weeks, so we're worried," the fire chief said. 

"We're asking the public to be super diligent and if they see anything suspicious to call 911, and for residents and visitors to Coldstream, it's super dry out, so we need to protect the community."

Firefighting crews responded at 7:15 p.m., initially to a report that the train bridge that runs over Kalamalka Lake Road was on fire, but upon arrival they found the thick black smoke was coming from a pile of retired railway ties beside the tracks that had been ignited. 

A total of 28 firefighters from the Coldstream and Lavington departments responded, as well as the RCMP and a supervisor from CN Rail who had a look at the tracks and deemed them to be safe. The tracks, as well as nearby College Way, were closed while firefighters spent about two hours extinguishing the blaze.

"There was actually a train that got stopped, "Morgenthaler-Code said. "They saw the fire and from where they were, they thought the tracks were on fire."

Crews accessed the fire off College Way, cutting a fence in order to better access the area. 

Morgenthaler-Code said while there were no structures near the fire aside from the bridge, there was "definitely concern of it spreading."

The fire chief said railway ties are "super carcinogenic," which is why the fire produced thick black smoke, and why she wouldn't let her team go near it without them using air packs. 

Morgenthaler-Code said the RCMP is looking into the blaze, and has also been investigating the string of suspicious fires that preceded it. 

"They've been super good with all the fires we've had in Coldstream as soon as we were like, hey, this seems a little bit sketchy."