Wildfire burning in Comox Valley 'could have been much worse'
A new wildfire is burning in the Comox Valley on eastern Vancouver Island Tuesday.
The wildfire, measuring approximately two and a half acres, was discovered just west of Courtenay, B.C., early Tuesday morning.
Wildfire officials say the blaze was sparked along the Duncan Bay Mainline forest road, north of Browns River. (BC Wildfire Service)
Wildfire officials say the blaze was sparked along the Duncan Bay Mainline forest road, north of Browns River.
Multiple passersby reported seeing flames from nearby Highway 19 and immediately called the authorities.
“I think that with the extreme fire danger rating, it is important to call in anything and have the fire department investigate,” said Courtenay fire inspector Greg Lamb.
The fire started in a massive wood debris pile before spreading into the surrounding forest.
The fire is believed to be human-caused, according to officials, but the investigation is ongoing.
BC Wildfire Service officer Jackson Garrett says the fire “grew quite rapidly due to the dry conditions” but luckily there has been very little wind to push the fire farther into the forest.
“The spread could have been much worse,” Garrett said. “We were lucky here that this was close to the highway [where] people were able to see it.”
The fire is currently the only wildfire burning on Vancouver Island.
“The most important thing is that people are actually doing the job of picking up the phone and calling it in,” the wildfire officer said. “So that really helped for the response time here.”
There were 250 active wildfires burning across the province Tuesday morning, primarily in the B.C. Interior.
More than 3,200 firefighters and personnel are battling fires across the province, including more than 300 firefighters from outside B.C., according to an update Tuesday from Emergency Management BC.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Angst and calls for resting places as Surrey, B.C., pet cemetery development continues
A single headstone is all that remains of dozens of markers for long-buried pets in a subdivision in Surrey’s Newton neighbourhood, where a half-acre parcel bears a large sign announcing the proposed construction of new homes.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.