After putting out a fire early Monday in green space off a Dallas Road beach, the Victoria Fire Department is reminding the public to refrain from smoking, lighting beach fires or using propane and natural gas appliances in parks or beaches.
“People like having beach fires, we get that. But we want to stress that with the extreme weather conditions, there is no safe way to use a fire in a park,” said Victoria Fire Chief Dan Atkinson. “The risk is just too great.”
The fire, which was first reported at 3 a.m. Monday, burned approximately 300 square metres of green space, just metres from the site of another fire the department extinguished in July.
Atkinson said there’s no doubt the fire was human-caused.
“Frequently people would light a fire and think it is extinguished enough when they leave,” he said. “Winds at night typically blow towards the shore. If an ember gets picked up and blown towards the dry grass — the next thing you know, the bank is aflame.”
While temperatures have cooled, it’s still very dry and fires can start easily, he said.
Due to its size, the overnight fire was upgraded to a two-alarm response after crews arrived. It was successfully extinguished at 4:30 a.m.
