Trails and park areas that were closed by the Old Man Lake wildfire near Sooke are beginning to reopen.
The Capital Regional District said Thursday that it is opening trails within Sea to Sea Regional Park and sections of Sooke Potholes Regional Park and the Galloping Goose Regional Trail that were shut down after the fire stared on July 22.
The District of Sooke’s Potholes Gateway area and B.C. Parks land in the vicinity have also reopened.
The fire is listed as under control but is still active, and closures remain in place in the portion of Sea to Sea Regional Park north of Peden Lake Trail and on the Empress Mountain Trail.
Also still closed are Sooke Potholes Regional Park north of parking lot 2, the Galloping Goose trail north of the Peden Lake Trail access, the Spring Salmon Place Campground in Sooke Potholes Regional Park, and Kapoor Regional Park.
CRD crews continue to work with the B.C. Wildfire Service to monitor the fire, and will continue to do so into the fall.
The fire was listed as under control on Aug. 7 after reaching a peak area of 230 hectares. It is the only Island wildfire currently shown on the B.C. Wildfire Service map.
So far this year there have been 38 wildfires on the Island — well below the 95 at this point in 2o23.
But Coastal Fire Centre information officer Nick Donnelly noted that the fire season is not over yet: “Who knows what the weather will bring?”
Donnelly said a forecast of rain in several parts of the Island this weekend is good news.
“It is looking like we should be getting some rain, on Sunday in particular,” he said.
Victoria, Duncan, Nanaimo and Courtenay are all expected to have showers during the weekend, but Environment Canada meteorologist Armel Castellan said the chance of significant rainfall is limited.
Ongoing closures around Sooke are expected to remain for some time, including those in the northern part of the Sea to Sea Regional Park, Kapoor Regional Park and northern sections of the Galloping Goose Trail.
Factors like slope stability and danger trees will be considered in the length of the closures.
Any updates will be posted on the CRD website at crd.bc.ca.
The CRD warned that the continuing closure of part of Sooke Potholes Regional Park will mean limited parking in the area, and suggested that people alter their plans if they find that spaces are full.
Members of the public are asked to obey any parking signs outside of the park and to avoid blocking emergency-access points, and to do their part whenever they venture outdoors to prevent further wildfires.
“This means packing out any trash, including glass, always staying on sanctioned trails and most of all never smoking or having campfires in parks,” the CRD said in a statement.
“It is also important that the wildfire area remain free from drone activity as it is still active airspace for B.C. Wildfire Service crews.”
