Firefighters had their hands full battling a human-caused wildfire in Port Alberni on Sunday night.
Just before 6 p.m., multiple people called 911 reporting a wildfire near Dry Creek and 16th Avenue.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found a fire quickly growing on a south-facing slope of the creek, according to Port Alberni Fire Chief Mike Owens.
About 40 firefighters were ultimately called to the blaze, including all Port Alberni Fire Department off-duty personnel, as well as mutual aid fire crew from Cherry Creek, Beaver Creek and Sproat Lake.
BC Wildfire Services also briefly had staff on scene.
RELATED: Daytime closures return to Highway 4 for road work
The fire grew to about one hectare in size before firefighters were able to contain it. No structures were threatened by the fire, which got within 300 metres of the closest property.
Firefighters battled the fire until about midnight, putting out hotspots and setting up sprinklers.
Crews then checked in on the fire throughout the night before returning to the scene Monday to put out any remaining hotspots and clear the area.
BC Wildfire fire investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire, but it’s believed to be human-caused.
Adam Chan
