Helicopters, boats and ground crews battling out-of-control wildfire near Victoria
Firefighters took to the air, land and sea to battle an out-of-control wildfire northwest of Victoria on Tuesday morning.
Three helicopters were contracted by the B.C. Wildfire Service early Tuesday to assist ground crews on the eastern shore of Finlayson Arm, where a half-hectare blaze was identified in the early-morning hours.
Wildfire smoke blankets the area around Finlayson Arm on Tuesday morning. (CTV News)
CTV News has learned the fire was started by a hiker who got lost in the area and lit a campfire to stay warm.
By 1:30 p.m., Langford Fire Rescue said the blaze was being held and was not likely to grow under the current weather conditions.
The fire was spotted overnight, according to Highlands Fire Rescue, but its remote and difficult location made it hard to access in the dark.
The area, near Hydro Road, is defined by steep cliffs and dense forest.
Firefighters, including municipal responders from Langford and Highlands, were accessing the region by boat.
Wildfire smoke blankets the area around Finlayson Arm on Tuesday morning. (CTV News)
Firefighters gathered at the Goldstream Boat Launch around 8 a.m. to transit to the area.
The helicopters were initially delayed in getting to the scene due to dense, early-morning fog, according to provincial fire information officer Julia Caranci.
Crews were monitoring nearby power lines to ensure hydro transmission was not interrupted by the blaze or the fire-suppression efforts.
The cause of the fire is still officially under investigation but is suspected to be human-caused, Caranci said.
Langford Fire Rescue says there was no immediate threat to any homes in the area.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.