As a growing wildfire and other blazes burned areas around the Capital Region this week, flames scorched part of a Dallas Road bluff on Thursday and garnered a stern warning from Victoria's fire chief.
Victoria firefighters were called to the brush fire shortly before 6 a.m. and then worked for over an hour to extinguish the blaze as it moved up the waterfront embankment.
Fire crews realized it wasn't going to be an easy response upon arriving as the dry conditions and strong winds helped the flames quickly rise up the bank, Victoria fire Chief Dan Atkinson said at the incident site on Thursday.
It was clearly a human-caused fire and he suspects someone had a campfire that they didn't fully extinguish, the chief added. The incident is frustrating because human-caused fires are preventable, Atkinson said, noting that Victoria crews are having to attend around two outdoor blazes every day that are sparked by people.
Scorched vegetation could be seen all the way up the section of bluffs, almost reaching the walking trails that look over the water.
Atkinson said fires like Thursday's strain resources, affect those with respiratory conditions and threaten Victoria's ecosystems and wildlife.
"We need to do better, we are so fortunate in Victoria, we have access to amazing public spaces (and) parks where we can get outside and recreate with our friends and our animals," the chief said. "We are the stewards of these lands, we need to make sure we care for them."
The City of Victoria doesn't allow fires in parks or on beaches except for when specific natural gas and propane devices are being used solely for cooking food. Almost all of B.C. is currently under a campfire ban.
"With so many fires ravaging B.C. and Alberta, it is surprising that we are still having incidents like the fire this morning on the Dallas Road waterfront," the Victoria Firefighters Association said in a social media post.
With the lack of rain recently, the city's natural areas are extremely susceptible right now and it can only take minutes for a fire to start spreading quickly, Atkinson said.
Thursday's incident presented challenges due to the steep slopes and tricky terrain crews had to trudge through. Preventable fires in places like that also puts responders more at risk of getting injured.
"It is extremely hazardous and extremely dangerous," Atkinson said.
