'Please be vigilant': Several recent fires spark call for caution from Port Alberni fire chief

Firefighters in Port Alberni, B.C., are pleading with the public to avoid lighting fires in local forests and parks after the department responded to a dozen brushfires over the past two weeks, according to the fire chief.

One of the latest fires was sparked Thursday night near the Echo Aquatic and Fitness Centre in the heart of the city.

The fire ignited in Roger Creek Park around 10 p.m. and smoke could be seen billowing from the area.

The Port Alberni Fire Department says no homes were threatened by the blaze.

By 11:30 p.m., the fire was considered extinguished, though crews remained at the scene to watch for hotspots.

Fire Chief Mike Owens says the department was called to the same area Monday for a similar blaze.

"The fire was approximately 30 feet by 40 feet, but was also climbing the full length of the trees," Owens said of the Thursday fire. "Crews probably worked the fire for approximately an hour and half in order to suppress it, then monitor in case there were any hotspots in the area."

ALL FIRES WERE HUMAN-CAUSED

Firefighters returned to the scene Friday to ensure there were no new hotspots flaring up. While no hotspots were found, fire crews were called to a fire in a dry creek bed in the 3500-block of Third Avenue on Friday morning.

"All of the fires that we've had – approximately a dozen fires in the past two weeks – all of them [were] human-caused for sure," Owens said. "Whether there is criminality or not, we have forwarded those on to the RCMP."

Thursday's fire was the largest of the recent blazes in and around the city, the fire chief said.

"We haven't seen any meaningful rainfall in weeks and coupled with that, the fire danger rating in our area has been at the extreme rating for a number of weeks now," Owens said. "So we're pleading with the public to please be vigilant and ensure that you don't start a fire."

The fire chief said he is grateful to the concerned Port Alberni citizens who have been calling in with reports of smoke, "which has been a key reason that we've been able to keep these fires down."