Firefighters were still putting out hot spots Saturday afternoon after a one-hectare wildfire was discovered at Thetis Lake.
The fire is believed to have been ignited overnight Friday, with View Royal Fire Rescue receiving calls about smoke in the Highland Road and Riverside Drive areas around 1 a.m. Saturday.
View Royal firefighters monitored the blaze overnight and began an attack around 7 a.m.
In total, 22 firefighters helped tackled the fire, including 12 from View Royal, four from the Colwood Fire Department, two from Langford Fire Rescue and four from a sa国际传媒 Wildfire Service initial attack crew.
The fire was held and considered in control by late Saturday morning and by the afternoon only a handful of crews remained on scene putting out hot spots.
“With the current resources and under forecasted conditions the fires is not expected to grow,” said Gordon Robinson, an information officer for the Coastal Fire Service.
The Capital Regional District restricted public access to the lake Saturday, shutting down both the main beach and Seymour Hill to support fire suppression.
No injuries were reported.
“We can’t say for sure how it started,” Robinson said. “We suspect it’s human-caused given the lack of lightning and that it’s in a recreational area.”
The sa国际传媒 Wildfire crew also helped the Colwood Fire Department battle a brush fire at Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site on Wednesday. The fire was contained, but the next day Colwood Fire Chief Bryan Erwin warned of the ongoing “extreme fire conditions on the south Island.”
“We want people to get out there and enjoy nature, but remind them to be extremely cautious and aware,” he said.
With files from Darren Kloster
