A wildfire that started Friday afternoon near Woss has been declared extinguished by the Coastal Fire Centre.
The fire was sparked about 400 metres east of Woss, near Port McNeill, late Friday afternoon and grew to about one hectare at its peak, said Gordon Robinson, an information assistant with the Coastal Fire Centre.
A cause has not been determined, but it’s suspected to have been sparked by a downed power line, Robinson said.
Three fire departments responded, in addition to the B.C. Wildfire Service and helicopters, he said.
The fire closed Highway 19 for a couple of hours Friday.
Robinson urged people to heed the province’s campfire ban and to be cautious in the dry conditions.
“We are in high risk or extreme risk everywhere on the Island, and most of the mainland as well,” Robinson said.
The Coastal Fire Centre has seen a higher than normal number of fires at this point in the year, with about 100 compared to an average of 65. People are suspected of causing most of the fires this season.
The fires have burned fewer hectares this year, Robinson said. Some 125 hectares have burned so far this season, while the annual average to this point is about 3,000 hectares.
Fire crews have worked quickly to knock down fires before they can grow, Robinson said.
“We’re really trying to stay on top of that, given the situation in the Interior so we can continue to support those firefighters that are more affected by the bad fires this year,” he said.
