OLIVER, British Columbia, July 6 (UPI) -- Volunteer firefighters in a Canadian town found themselves in hot water for quenching their thirst with beer they rescued from a fire they extinguished.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Tuesday the entire fire department in Oliver, British Columbia -- more than 30 members -- were suspended for two weeks after it was determined they drank at least one of the six beer kegs they removed from a burning hotel in May.


Initially, just two volunteer firefighters were suspended and the chief took a leave of absence. But Mayor Pat Hampson said a closer look revealed a wider problem.

"The fire department approached us and said, 'Look, we've made a stupid mistake here, and we feel we should all take responsibility for it, even the members who aren't at the incident,' just to show solidarity amongst themselves," he said.

The suspensions will be staggered, so to speak, so the town isn't left without fire protection.