Crews were called to the hills on the outskirts of Nanaimo to deal with one of the first wildfires of the season.
Nanaimo Fire Rescue was called out at 2:45 p.m. Saturday to Jenkins Road, and ended up accessing the fire along Doumont Road. The fire was on private property on Doumont hill.
Alan Millbank, Nanaimo Fire Rescue fire prevention officer, said the fire was sparked by an ember from a burn pile.
“It was a developer clearing land … and he had two burns there and one got away on him and they had to call in forestry and the fire department to get it back under control,” Millbank said.
The developer had a permit for the burn and was prepared with water, water pump and hoses for fire control, but was unable to control the spot fire, which started when winds carried embers from the main fire.
“It was a spot fire that started 275 feet away from the original fire,” Millbank.
He said the area affected by the fire was about one hectare in size, but did not extend beyond the property boundaries.
Nanaimo Fire Rescue had to return to the scene twice to douse hot spots that flared up overnight.
The fire was added to B.C. Wildfire Service’s active wildfires map Saturday afternoon, listed as person-caused.
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editor@nanaimobulletin.com
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