Wildfire crews continue to fight a fire near Nanaimo’s Boomerang Lake this morning, but have most of the area contained.
About 70 per cent of the 6.5-hectare wildfire is contained, said Marg Drysdale, fire information officer with the Coastal Fire Centre.
The human-caused fire is about seven kilometres west of Nanaimo, on private forestry land. No homes or structures are threatened. Boomerang Lake is between Mount Benson and Okay Mountain.
About 41 firefighters are responding and a helicopter is on standby to dump water overhead.
The fire was discovered Saturday in an area of felled and bucked timber, which caused heavy plumes of smoke, Drysdale said.
The area is experiencing warm temperatures and steady wind, and the fire danger rating is high.
“We had very quick reporting from the public which we're very thankful for,” Drysdale said. “The crews were able to get on the fire very quickly which knocked it back.”
Water-skimming aircraft were helping fight the fire on Saturday.
The exact cause of the fire is under investigation.
The Wildfire Management Branch is warning the public not to light large bonfires or “party fires,” to extinguish cigarettes in water and to avoid driving or parking in tall grasses.
