Beach fires still pester Metchosin, two years after it banned them

It has been two years since Metchosin — the last holdout among municipalities in the region — decided beach fires would no longer be allowed.

The move reduced the problem, but hasn’t shut it down, said Metchosin Fire Chief Stephanie Dunlop — particularly when it comes to fires at Taylor Road and Albert Head beaches.

“We’ve probably had upward of 15 to 20 beach fires this year.”

She said large signs let the public know beach fires have been banned, but some people are determined to have them anyway.

“They choose to not read the signage and not know,” Dunlop said.

“It’s right at the entrance, so it’s kind of funny when people say they didn’t see the sign.”

It took a long time for Metchosin officials to conclude it was time to enact a ban, she said, because residents “appreciated the beautiful area, and having a beach fire is really a nice thing to do.”

But there was a problem: People from outside the municipality would often leave messes behind on beaches. They would spread a layer of gravel over a fire when they left, creating a potential hazard for kids using the beach the next morning, who would step on the hot embers.

“It just kind of ruined it for everybody,” she said. “And the garbage was just atrocious.” Dunlop said some fires are still allowed in Metchosin, despite the B.C. Wildfire Service campfire ban that took effect throughout the Coastal Fire Centre region on Thursday.

She said the fire-hazard rating in Metchosin has only just gone to high, and an outright fire ban is generally brought in when the rating is extreme.

That means small fires in fire pits are allowed at residences, as well as at Metchosin’s few private camping areas, but backyard burning and use of incinerators have been prohibited since May 31.

Beach fires are an ongoing concern in other parts of the region, where they’re banned.

Victoria Deputy Fire Chief Dan Atkinson said his department had 230 beachfire calls last year and has been busy with them this year.

“We do regular beach patrols and respond to calls as they come in,” he said.

The worst area for beach fires in Victoria is along Dallas Road between Clover Point and Douglas Street, he said.

Oak Bay Fire Department Capt. Rob Kivell said the municipality receives about 30 to 50 calls about beach fires each summer, with the shore at the Victoria Golf Course and Willows Beach among the prime spots. “But it’s getting better every year,” he said.

Fines for violating beach-fire bans vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, with Victoria’s set at $250.