A brush fire at Curtis Road in Comox was under control by late Saturday afternoon after multiple agencies battled it from the air and on the ground.
“We are in the mop-up stage, which is fantastic,” said Capt. Terry Dean of Comox Fire Rescue. “We didn’t lose any houses, no injuries per se.”
The fire started near the road and spread into the bush, growing to about two hectares in size, Dean said. Some homes were evacuated and the area was blocked off.
Comox Fire Rescue was helped by the Oyster River, Cumberland and Campbell River fire departments, as well as Canadian Forces Base Comox and the B.C. Wildfire Service.
Two helicopters used buckets to help get on top of the blaze.
“It’s so windy and it’s so dry there, and our water is an issue as well, so we have to get on it as quickly as we can,” Dean said.
It appears that the fire was started by youngsters playing with a lighter, he said. Police were on the scene.
More than 160 wildfires are burning across B.C., with 14 posing a direct threat to communities, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service. Fire suppression this season has cost the province $77 million.
Most of the fires have been sparked by lightning, but Donna MacPherson, fire information officer for the Coastal fire centre in Parksville, said Vancouver Island has not had any lightning strikes for some time.
In the capital region this week, a brush fire in Metchosin destroyed a home.
Police were investigating a report that the fire was started by sparks from a piece of metal that was dragging underneath a vehicle.
A hot piece of metal off an 18-wheeler was blamed for a series of fires along Highway 19 north of Courtenay on Monday.
The fire danger for much of the Island is rated as high, with some areas that are considered extreme.
Anyone spotting a wildfire can call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 from a cellphone to report it.
