A wildfire in a remote valley near Shirley has flared up, but was classified as “under control” Thursday afternoon.
The Muir Creek fire, about 17 kilometres northwest of Sooke — the only wildfire on Vancouver Island — was initially reported a week ago and brought under control at about a third of a hectare.
But the B.C. Wildfire Service said a hotspot outside the original perimeter ignited another blaze, which has grown to about one hectare.
Coastal Fire Centre Information officer Dorthe Jakobsen said the latest blaze occurred after crews were mopping up the initial fire. She said the hot spot could have been caused by a spark from the original fire or the fire travelling through the ground on root systems.
Jakobsen said the fire is human-caused and on private land. The blaze isn’t posing any danger to homes or infrastructure, as the location is remote, she said.
Jakobsen said one helicopter, eight firefighters and two tanker trucks with personnel are on the scene and controlling the fire.
