Campbell River firefighters had to hike in to Nunns Creek Park on Friday morning to reach two ground fires before they spread.
“We got reports of smoke coming from Nunns Creek Park in behind the ball fields,” said fire chief Thomas Doherty. “Crews responded and had to hike into the bush quite a distance. We actually located two fires within the park, ground fires that were starting to spread up into the trees.”
The call came in at 5:20 a.m., and crews were on scene until just after 8 a.m.
The flames themselves were extinguished quite quickly, but the crew had to spend quite a while overhauling the area, since the fire had burnt down into the roots of the trees.
“It’s in the back, way in behind the ball fields there,” Doherty said. “No immediate water supply, so we had our water tender there and stretched quite a few hundred feet of hose into the trails.”
There was no evidence of a campfire or other cause in the area. The fire could have been caused by either discarded smoking material or “may have even been from a fire that may have gone underground some time ago and just smouldered for some time and has just now surfaced,” Doherty said.
Campbell River is under a burning ban, which means no fires.
“No campfires, no beach fires, no backyard burning. Don’t discard your cigarettes out the window, put them in an appropriate ashtray or some sort of non-combustible device,” Doherty said.
“Just be vigilant. If you do see smoke, call it in right away,” he added. “The quick response is extremely important right now to get a handle on things before they spread.”
RELATED: Motorists assist with extinguishing multiple grass fires along Courtenay roadway
Campbell River fire department responds to house fire in 3.5 minutes, stopping spread of flames
marc.kitteringham@campbellrivermirror.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter