Cumberland fire chief warns trail users after overnight fire
A Vancouver Island fire chief is asking off-road vehicle users to exercise extra caution after his crews extinguished a wildfire near the village of Cumberland on Friday morning.
“It’s windy and the grass and bush is dry and it only takes an ember,” said Cumberland Fire Chief Mike Williamson.
Crews were called to a one-acre fire near the intersection of Lake Trail Road and the Comox Logging Road shortly after 4 a.m.
“It was burning towards the edge of the road and I was scared it was going to jump the road because there are houses there on the other side of the road off of Lake Trail Road,” Williamson said.
Williamson believes the cause of the fire was either a dropped cigarette or a motorcycle muffler igniting dry grass.
“People that live out there tell me that they were hearing motorbikes out there around 11 o’clock last night,” he said. “[The fire] was right on the trails and the bike trail runs right through the middle of the fire.”
Williamson says the property is owned by Hancock Forest Management and is commonly used by mountain bikers and motorbike riders.
“We concentrated on the front and it was blowing pretty good this morning,” Williamson said. “It was probably blowing about 30 kilometres an hour and the ashes and flames were blowing onto the road about 30 feet high.”
Crews spent approximately five hours on scene before their mop-up efforts were completed.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Here's how much more Canadian landlords are asking for now, according to a just-released report
A new report says the average asking rent for a home in Canada in April was up 9.3 per cent compared with a year ago, while a slight month-over-month increase was also recorded for the first time since January.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
What is basic income, and how would it impact me?
Parliamentarians are considering a pair of bills aiming to lift people out of poverty through a basic income program, but some fear these types of systems could result in more taxes for Canadians who are already financially struggling.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
Out-of-control wildfire burning near Fort McMurray
As of 9 a.m. on Friday, the wildfire burning 28 kilometres southwest of the northeastern Alberta city was 25 hectares in size.
Mexico's president accuses press and volunteer searchers for missing people of 'necrophilia'
The administration of Mexico's president has accused the press and volunteer searchers who look for the bodies of missing people of 'necrophilia,' comments that drew criticism this week.