VICTORIA -- As the warm, dry weather of summer approaches, firefighters up and down Vancouver Island are preparing for the start of wildfire season.

Though the current fire danger rating in Greater Victoria is low to moderate, fire services in the region want people to know that as forest floors dry out, it only takes seconds for a spark to become a blaze.

"It will dry out quite quickly so the chances of a wildfire go up dramatically," said Langford Fire Department assistant chief of fire protection, Lance Caven.

"With COVID people want to be outside, they want to be out in nature and we just need them to be really diligent," he said.

Caven says one of the sure ways to prevent a wildfire is, when having a campfire, to be sure it is out and cold to the touch before leaving. Another is to be sure to dispose of smoking materials in a safe manner.

"If you are out on your all-terrain vehicle or motorcycle you want to make sure you’re not parking in dry grass," said Caven. "The hot exhaust could ignite that grass and it could take off into the forest."

Caven says dry grass, twigs and needles on the forest floor are things that will fuel a wildfire. He says once a wildfire takes hold the risk of it spreading to other areas is high.

"Embers from fires can travel up to two kilometres if not farther depending on the right conditions," he said. "If those embers are picked up and get carried they could start, which is going to start separate fires away from the main fire."

Caven says there is always a risk that the new fires may become interface fires and engulf people’s homes. The resulting fires could destroy homes and cause injury or loss of life.

"The last few years we haven’t had a very active wildfire season, but we did have a significant fire in Mill Hill Park last summer," said Caven. "This year we’re anticipating a much busier year because that forest debris has been building up over that past few years and the chances of some more severe wildfires is a lot higher."

Caven says wildfires can happen anywhere. In parks in the Capital Regional District (CRD), like Goldstream Park, Thetis Lake Park and Mount Douglas Park, people are asked to be cautious as the weather gets dry.

"If you get the right temperatures and humidity and a wildfire starts, it's going to grow at a rate that will overwhelm most people very quickly," said Caven. "When you are out in nature, be prepared and be as safe as you can."

The assistant fire chief says though the source of a wildfire is difficult to investigate, in most cases there is usually one cause.

"The majority of wildfires are human caused because we don't get a lot of lightning out here and that’s always something we check on when we have a wildfire, if there was any lightning activity," said Caven. "It's usually carelessness in some way, shape or form that has caused that wildfire."

Caven says if you see a wildfire, call 911 right away because fires can grow very big, very fast.