Fire chief calls for caution after weed-killing torch sparks fire

The fire spread to a cedar hedge between the home and a neighbouring residence, and only a quick response from firefighters kept it from doing serious damage, the Sidney fire chief said.

As the fire-danger rating ramps up to high on the south Island, the Sidney fire chief is calling for caution, pointing to a recent close call where a resident sparked a small fire while using a propane-powered torch to get rid of weeds.

The fire spread to a cedar hedge between the home and a neighbouring residence, and only a quick response from firefighters kept it from doing serious damage, Brett Mikkelsen said.

Soffits on one of the houses were already starting to melt when crews arrived, he said.

Mikkelsen said that looking out his window at the fire station, he can see stretches of grass that can be fuel for an errant spark.

“There’s still some green to it, but it doesn’t take long for it to really get dry and cause an issue,” Mikkelsen said. “It’s the time of year that we definitely try to remind everyone to discard cigarettes responsibly and obey burning bans.”

Despite such warnings, “we still deal with a number of nuisance fires every year,” he said.

The fire-danger rating for the south Island, up to Nanaimo, is now at high, although it remains moderate in most of the rest of the Island.

There is also a high fire-danger rating in the Campbell River area, which saw only 9.4 millimetres of rain in June — just 15 per cent of normal.

Two wildfires are now burning on the Island, the newest one discovered Tuesday near Harris Creek, about 19 kilometres northeast of Port Renfrew.

It’s seven hectares in size and listed as out of control, and is being fought by three initial-attack crews and two helicopters.

The other wildfire is near Nahmint Mountain, south of Sproat Lake, and was discovered June 8.

That fire, which covers 19.1 hectares, is deemed under control. “At this point, they’re scanning for hot spots,” said Coastal Fire Centre information officer Sam Bellion. “But it’s very steep, inoperable terrain.”

Fire officials routinely look to June rain to dampen wildfire dangers, but this year saw no significant precipitation in most parts of the Island during the month.

The Gonzales weather station measured a whopping 33.8 millimetres of rain in June — about 180 per cent of the normal amount of 18.8 — but almost all of it was from a single storm on June 21.

That lone downpour wouldn’t have been enough to soak deep into dry material in the ground, said Kelsey Copes-Gerbitz from the University of B.C.’s Centre for Wildfire Coexistence, part of the forestry faculty.

She said the Island and other parts of B.C. have had persistent drought conditions in recent years that could be eased with rain, “and we just haven’t seen the level of precipitation we would need.”

As well, a low snowpack on the Island has been providing less moisture than usual, she said.

This wildfire season, which began April 1, has so far seen 26 fires on Vancouver Island, up about 10 from this time last year, but “pretty in line” with seasonal averages, Bellion said.

Fires to this point in the season are predominantly human-caused, but lightning-caused fires tend to take over around now, she said.

“This is that time of year when we really start to see those natural fire starts into July as it gets warmer and drier,” said Bellion, adding people need to be responsible with their use of open fire in the back country. “We’ll start to see lightning strikes in upper-alpine areas.”

Copes-Gerbitz said that lightning-caused fires tend to be the largest because they’re often slower to be reported if they’re in remote areas, and can involve many lightning strikes at one time.

Last year, which was rated as B.C.’s fourth-worst fire season ever, more than 70 per cent of fires in the province were caused by lightning.

About $621 million was spent fighting wildfires in 2024, down from about $1.09 billion in 2023.

Bellion said conditions have not yet reached the level in the Coastal Fire Centre where a campfire ban will be issued, but the fire centre is keeping a close watch on the moisture content of the forest floor.

Last year, a campfire ban was imposed July 12 in the Coastal Fire Centre area, while in 2023, it began June 8.

Backyard and industrial burning was banned in the area on May 30, along with fireworks and the use of burn barrels.

Disobeying a ban can mean a $1,150 violation ticket or a penalty up to $10,000.

The weather forecast for Victoria calls for no rain and a run of largely sunny days through next Tuesday, when a high of 27 C is expected.

Predictions are similar for Nanaimo, Comox and Port Alberni.

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