Firefighters contain wildfire burning on southern Vancouver Island

Victoria -

A wildfire burning on southern Vancouver Island tripled in size Thursday morning after temporarily breaking free of the control of firefighters.

The Muir Creek fire, in a remote valley northeast of Shirley, B.C., was discovered Friday.

For days, fire crews had successfully contained the blaze to one-third of a hectare until Thursday morning, when the fire had reached one hectare, or approximately two and a half acres.

The fire was burning “out of control” until Thursday afternoon, when the BC Wildfire Service said fire crews had once again gained control and contained the blaze.

“We saw growth overnight,” said Coastal Fire Centre information officer Dorthe Jakobsen. “The conditions are very dry out there.”

A helicopter, two water trucks and a crew of nine personnel on the ground are currently battling the blaze, Jakobsen said.

“They will be there all day,” Jakobsen said, but noted “resources change all the time as the needs change on the fire.”

Investigators suspect the fire was human-caused.

The Muir Creek fire is currently the only wildfire on Vancouver Island, according to the wildfire service.