Nanaimo firefighters busy with brush fires; cigarettes out car windows often to blame
NANAIMO — Despite a slow start to the forest fire season, Nanaimo Fire Rescue crews have already had to deal with their share of often preventable fires.
Acting chief Karen Fry reported crews have been called to nearly 50 incidents of bark mulch, brush or illegal fires already this year. Over the last three years there has been an average of 146 such incidents.
She said the primary culprit is carelessly tossed cigarette butts.
“Generally it’s them being thrown out the windows (of cars) into meridians and empty grassy areas…It’s really along the corridors, the train tracks and the roadways,” Fry told NanaimoNewsNOW.