Crews contain Green Mountain wildfire
A wildfire on Green Mountain close to marmot habitat was being held at about 16 hectares in size Tuesday, says the Coastal Fire Centre.
Dorthe Jakobsen said crews continue to make good progress with the fire, which is burning southwest of Nanaimo in “very challenging terrain.”
It is believed to have been caused by lightning.
Jakobsen said two more wildfires started overnight Monday, one near Deep Bay resulting from a vehicle fire that spread to the surrounding area. The other is a small blaze near Nanoose Bay.
Both involve local fire departments and the B.C. Wildfire Service.
There are also wildfires on Quadra and Pender islands measuring 0.7 and 0.5 hectares, respectively.
Jakobsen said the Pender Island is being held in check by the Pender Island Fire Department, with assistance from the B.C. Wildfire Service.
Elsewhere in B.C., residents of 43 properties in the southern Interior have been told to be ready to leave on short notice as a wildfire flares nearby.
The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen issued the evacuation alert Sunday as a 22-hectare wildfire burns northwest of Princeton.
The B.C. Wildfire Service said lightning is the suspected cause. A 29-member crew, 11 pieces of heavy equipment, helicopters and air tankers were working to contain the flames.
Lightning storms across the southern Interior sparked 22 new fires over the long weekend. There are more than 40 wildfires, all of them under 25 hectares in size, burning in the province as cool, wet weather has slowed the start of the wildfire season.
The wildfire danger map shows much of the southern quarter of the province is rated as high to extreme, but the majority of B.C. currently faces no more than a moderate risk.