West Vancouver fire crews were called to extinguish a brush fire on the side of Highway 1 on Thursday.
Deputy Fire Chief Gord Howard said crews were called around 1:15 p.m. to a stretch of freeway just east of Cypress Bowl Road.
Two engines and a chief officer responded to the rapidly-expanding fire, which reached a size of about nine by 15 metres before crews got it under control, Howard said.
“They were able to keep it to a manageable size and and thankfully it’s under control now and they’re just doing that mop-up operation,” he said.
“But we’re all right, thankful to the public for getting the call out quickly.”
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Crews said they believe the fire was caused by a piece of grass cutting equipment that struck a rock and sparked.
However, Howard said the fire is a good reminder for motorists in the area to be extra careful.
“There could be a number of causes, but we just want people to be be aware to reduce the sources of ignition,” he said
“So if you’re pulling off, make sure you don’t go past the shoulder onto the grass; if you’re smoking, make sure you deal with that appropriately inside the vehicle.”
Howard added that if people see smoke or flames they should always call it in, and never assume it’s already been reported.
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