WATCH: It can’t be stressed enough going into the weekend: it’s hot and dry and the fire danger rating is high across much of the province. Crews already scrambling to put out several brush fires on the Lower Mainland today. Jill Bennett reports.
There have been four brush fires in West Vancouver in only four hours and the fire department says they were all likely caused by discarded cigarettes. All the fires have now been extinguished.
Jeff Bush, the assistant fire chief, said one of the brush fires, near Willoughby Road and Dunlewey Place, was in an area “riddled with cigarette butts.”
A discarded match or cigarette can start a fire very quickly, especially in such dry conditions.
Fire officials caution people to not throw their cigarettes out the car window and make sure they are discarded properly.
Crews in Prince George are also responding to 15 new wildfires in the area, all of which started on Thursday.
The fires were sparked by lighting and are burning in the northern portion of the fire centre.
The Prince George Fire Centre has responded to a total of 29 new wildfires since Tuesday and all of them were caused by lightning. The largest of these fires is in the Fort Nelson Fire Zone and covers 200 hectares. No structures are threatened at this time.
Many of the new fires are in remote areas and access by ground is limited.
Open fires that are larger than half a metre high by half a metre wide are currently prohibited throughout the Prince George Fire Centre. People are allowed to have campfires, but they must fully extinguish them and make sure the ashes are cold to the touch before leaving the area for any amount of time.
However, as of noon on Saturday, campfires will be banned in parts of the South Coast. Port Moody Fire Rescue announced on Friday an open fire burning restrictions within the boundaries of the city effective noon on June 27.
Campfires will only be allowed on northern Vancouver Island, the mid-coast portion of the mainland and on Haida Gwaii.
Up-to-date information on burning restrictions and current wildfire activity can be obtained online at: www.bcwildfire.ca or by calling 1-888-3-FOREST.
To report smoke, flames or an unattended campfire, call 1 800 663-5555 or *5555 on a cellphone.
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