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Fire reported on Harwood Island

Crews put out driftwood blaze
Harwood Island
Harwood Island, off the coast of Powell River. Getty image

Fire crews attended to a human-caused fire on the north end of Harwood Island on July 13, which is now reported as being extinguished. Crews were able to declare the fire out late that afternoon.

Donna MacPherson, fire information officer at the coastal fire centre in Parksville, said it was a fairly small fire, at 20 metres by five metres in size. She said the fire was in some driftwood on the spit of the island.

Speaking on July 13, she said: “Today, we have crews on site; three people and a helicopter, and they are making good progress on the fire. It’s basically burning in the driftwood on the high tide line on the beach.”

MacPherson said the crews were breaking apart the logs on the beach and making sure they get all of the heat out. They had to make sure the fire site was cold to the touch.

MacPherson said from a wildfire perspective, BC has had the luxury of wet weather, but the province is going into a warming and drying trend.

“It looks like we are going to have more of that in the next week or so,” she said. “It’s a really good opportunity for people to be more campfire aware.

“People lighting campfires have to have a way to put it out. They need water and a shovel to put it out. They need to stay beside the fire and before they leave, they need to make sure it is cold to the touch. If people do those things, these kinds of incidents, such as Harwood Island, won’t happen.”