Port Alberni firefighters respond to more fires after battling six last weekend

Port Alberni firefighters respond to more fires after battling six last weekend
Port Alberni Fire/Twitter
The heat wave has left surrounding areas

Port Alberni firefighters have had “no reprieve” from wildfires since the record-breaking heatwave, dealing with two fires that broke out over the weekend.

According to the Port Alberni Fire Department, fire crews responded to a small forest fire just before 11 p.m. Saturday night near The Quadrant entrance to Dry Creek Park. They say the fire was around 200 square feet in size and was burning blackberry bushes in a forested area.

RCMP were letting nearby residents know an evacuation could have been necessary, according to Port Alberni Fire. They say crews had the fire out in around an hour.

Fire chief Mike Owens said they believe the fire was human-caused, but have yet to determine how it started or if it was intentional.

Then at around 2:15 a.m. Sunday, a shed caught fire in an alley in the 4100-block Glenside Road, according to the department. They say the shed had become fully engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived and had spread to nearby structures including a neighbour’s boat and overhead power lines, according to the department.

Crews said the heat from the fire had caused windows to crack and melted window casings on the nearby building.

Owens said the recent heatwave has left forested areas “tinder dry”. He added fire crews responded to six fires last weekend including a motor vehicle fire, an abandoned campfire and a brush fire off Cherry Creek Road.

He is asking the public to report fires as soon as they see smoke.

“We’re appealing to the public to be extra cautious,” said Owens. “Part of why we’ve been able to keep these fires small is the quick reporting of the public on all of these.”

Owens asks people who see a forest fire to call 911 or *5555.

READ MORE: Wildfire near Port Alberni puts residents on alert

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Justin WaddellJustin Waddell

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