Highlands brush fire now considered held and unlikely to grow, BC Wildfire Service says

A brush fire suspected that is suspected to be human-caused that sparked in the District of Highlands, north of Langford, is now considered held after it was previously classified as out-of-control, according to the BC Wildfire Service.

The blaze burning near Gowlland Tod Provincial Park was discovered in the early hours of Tuesday morning and prompted a response from Highlands and Langford Fire Departments and the BC Wildfire Service.

Highlands Fire Chief Dean Ford said the fire was difficult to battle because it was located on steep slopes just south of the park, and it grew from half a hectare to one hectare.

Crews eventually got the upper hand and the fire was deemed held Wednesday, with the BC Wildfire Service noting that it saw no growth overnight and is not expected to grow any larger than it is outside of its current boundary.

Nine BC Wildfire Service personnel remain on scene, though the fire is only burning in the ground at this stage.

BCWS says the fire is suspected to be human-caused but the cause remains under investigation.

On Tuesday, West Shore RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Nancy Saggar responded to rumours circulating online that a lost hiker light a campfire to keep warm that sparked the blaze.

Saggar did not say whether the hiker caused the fire, but confirmed he went missing in the area of Goldstream Provincial Park and the wildfire sparked soon after.

“How that fire got started, that’s still under investigation,” she said,

Ford said on Wednesday that there was evidence of a campfire in the area and no lightning at the time, but officials are still tryin gto piece together exactly what happened.

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