The Victoria Fire Department put out three brush fires Sunday, all believed to be caused by carelessly discarded cigarettes.
Two fires sparked within 20 minutes of each other about 2:30 p.m. in Beacon Hill Park near Cook Street, said battalion chief Jeff Zigay.
“One was probably a continuation of the other,” he said.
The fire was put out quickly, but firefighters were back at 4 p.m. after a brush fire was reported in the 600-block of Esquimalt Road near Wilson Street.
Firefighters found a patch of grass and some railway ties on fire, dangerously close to a 500-gallon propane tank used by a nearby business, Zigay said.
The blaze was extinguished and crews were cleared from the scene by 5:15 p.m.
“Probably all of them were caused by careless smoking,” Zigay said. “So people need to be careful.”
Otter Point and Sooke fire departments tackled a brush fire discovered in the 3100-block of Otter Point Road about 5 p.m., which sent ash falling in the area.
B.C. is seeing extreme to high fire-danger conditions amid dry weather that has persisted all summer.