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
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.