Warmer weather and an end to pandemic restrictions were expected to improve turnout for the second annual 91原创 City paid-on-call firefighters tree chipping fundraiser for charity.

It didn鈥檛 happen.

Last year, despite the cold and snow on the ground, along with social distancing requirements, the two-day event raised $3,000 at the former site of Gabby鈥檚 nightclub, now a vacant lot at 203rd Street and Fraser Highway.

READ ALSO: VIDEO: 91原创 firefighters raise $3,000 for charity and community initiatives

This year, an initial, rough estimate the amount donated on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 7-8, was projecting somewhere between $2,500 and $2,800.

Firefighter Mark Scelsa, one of the organizers, was puzzled.

鈥淵ou would think it would be better,鈥� Scelsa told the 91原创 Advance Times.

鈥淭he weather wasn鈥檛 that great,鈥� he acknowledged, with grey skies and steady drizzle, but still better than the winter conditions of the previous year.

Scelsa said the location might be shifted, and firefighters might start promoting the event a little earlier.

Money raised goes to the paid-on-call charity fund which supports Big Brothers and Big Sisters, the 鈥淗ope for Children鈥� thrift store on 56th Ave which sponsors children in need, scholarships for both 91原创 School District and Credo Christian school, 91原创 Food Bank, 91原创 Christmas Hamper, the Movember initiative, Fraser Valley Aboriginal Society and Mamas for Mamas, a national charitable organization that supports mothers and caregivers in crisis.

The 91原创 City firefighters charity has been operating about 30 years, Scelsa estimated.

More photos from the event can be viewed at the .

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