A second wildfire within weeks at Tugwell Creek, northwest of Sooke, is classified as “being held” at 1.85 hectares and is not close to any buildings.
Coastal Fire Centre information officer Jade Richardson said “being held” means the fire is not likely to spread, based on factors like the way the fire is behaving and how the weather is affecting it.
The Tugwell Creek fire, believed to be human-caused, was discovered Tuesday. Richardson said there will an in-depth investigation into the cause, “but nothing at this time points to there have been any lightning.”
The previous fire at Tugwell Creek this summer was confined to under half a hectare by crews, and followed a much-larger 85-hectare fire there in 2018.
Tricia Medd of Giddy-Up Ranch, about five kilometres from the current fire, was out for a trail ride Thursday and said smoke in the area was starting to ease.
“Yesterday was really bad, today is not as bad,” she said. “Today is just a little smoky.”
Medd said the ranch has a plan for if and when its animals need to be moved.
Across the Island, four additional fires are burning, including long-term ones at Cameron Bluffs above Highway 4 between Qualicum Beach and Port Alberni, and near Sayward on the north Island. Both are deemed to be under control.
Traffic delays continue on Highway 4 due to debris cleanup from the fire, with some closures in effect.
The 230-hectare Sayward fire at Newcastle Creek dates back to late May and is proving tough to completely extinguish, Richardson said.
“It’s been a difficult fire in terms of terrain and how deeply the fire has dug into the ground,” she said. “There’s a lot of human power on the fire, a lot of people day after day working that one.”
Crews are also continuing to battle a 16.6-hectare fire in the Klanawa Valley near Nitinat and a 35-hectare fire near Gold River, both of which are deemed to be under control.
Much of Vancouver Island is expected to see sun with some cloudy periods and temperatures in the 20s through the B.C. Day long weekend, with Port Alberni set to break 30 C. Showers are possible in Victoria and other communities by Wednesday.
Richardson said the expected stretch of continuing hot, dry weather comes with a reminder to be careful outdoors.
That is especially true on the south Island, where the fire danger ranges from high to extreme, she said. A campfire ban has been in effect on the Island since June 8.
Recent rainfall could only do so much to help the situation, Richardson said.
“The fuels are still very dry and with warmer temperatures it brings that fire-danger rating back up,” she said. “As we’re heading into the long weekend, people are going to be out enjoying the back country and all the great things on the Island, so the important message is encouraging folks to use their common sense and their best judgment.”
