Flames and smokes billow up into the sky after a fire hits the Parksville Wetlands off the north end of Hirst Ave at 12:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 16. (Parksville Volunteer Fire Dept.)

By Ian Holmes

wildfire

Large grass fire quickly knocked down in Parksville, no structures impacted

Apr 16, 2020 | 11:38 AM

PARKSVILLE — Good fortune aided crews in snuffing out an overnight grass fire on public property in Parksville.

Marc Norris, Parksville Volunteer Fire Dept. chief, said a 75 by 100 foot chunk of land in an area known as the Parksville Wetlands was charred overnight Wednesday.

The fire was reported by a concerned citizen at 12:30 a.m. Thursday morning, according to Norris.

He said the fire occurred near the walking path at the north end of Hirst Ave. where it meets Renz Rd.

“There was no potential in that spot for it to spread to structures. It was not a fast moving fire but it was a relatively large area,” Norris said, who attended the fire.

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He said their crews were well positioned for a fast knockdown, noting luckily the fire was within a couple hundred feet of the road making it “fairly straight-forward to get to and action it.”

PVFD crews are on scene Thursday in an effort to determine how the fire started.

Norris said the first significant wildfire in the region of the season serves as a wake-up call.

“The weather has been quite dry, we’re still experiencing some drought condition out there and it’s a good reminder for everybody to be vigilant and careful when out in our forested areas,” Norris said.

The fire occurred in a typically bog-like setting, which Norris said is drying up given this stretch of continuing dry and warming temperatures.

The City purchased nearly 100 acres of the Parksville Wetlands in 2017 from the Ermineskin Cree Nation for $1.3 million.

Enhanced burning restrictions impacting the Coastal Fire Centre come into effect Thursday, April 16.

Those restrictions outlaw most burning activities throughout the province, excluding campfires.

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes