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Two significant fires on the West Shore in three days

Firefighters urging residents to be extra cautious after a grass fire Tuesday in Langford

West Shore firefighters are reminding residents that summer is far from over after two significant fires in three days.

The latest, a grass fire off of Latoria Road in Langford, was reported shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday.

“Like the one in Colwood, it just took off,” said Langford Fire Chief Chris Aubrey.

Fortunately, workers at a construction site above the field noticed the blaze and were able to start battling the fire with a water truck they had on site. The workers were able to prevent the fire from spreading until firefighters arrived on scene.

“The good thing about it going really fast is it doesn’t get really deep,” Aubrey noted as crews mopped up after the blaze and checked for any remaining hot spots.

The cause of the fire was accidental. “This was just the property owner trying to do the right thing,” Aubrey explained. The grass in the field was getting long and the owner was worried it was becoming a fire hazard. But while cutting the field, Aubrey noted the mower must have hit a rock or sparked, which caused the fire.

Aubrey noted all of Langford’s firefighters deployed to help battle the wildfires in the Interior returned last night and he was hopeful it would mark the end of the fire season.

“But summer isn’t over yet,” he added. “It’s still dry and until we get some significant rainfall … people need to take precautions.”

A fire ban is still in place for most coastal areas in B.C. due to extremely dry conditions across the province.

“We’ll let everyone know when the restrictions and bans have been removed,” Aubrey said, adding this is a good reminder for residents to continue to be extra cautious.

On Sunday, emergency crews responded to a wildfire in the Allandale Pit in Colwood that torched 500 square metres. That fire was caused by a family’s science experiment that went awry. According to Colwood Fire Assistant Chief Greg Chow, a model rocket caused the fire. The owners of the rocket stayed on scene and spoke with the West Shore RCMP.

The fire spread quickly due to high winds and extremely dry conditions.


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Members of Langford Fire Rescue check for hot spots after a grass fire off of Latoria Road Tuesday afternoon. (Katherine Engqvist/News Gazette staff)
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Members of Langford Fire Rescue mop up after a grass fire off of Latoria Road Tuesday afternoon. (Katherine Engqvist/News Gazette staff)
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Members of Langford Fire Rescue mop up after a grass fire off of Latoria Road Tuesday afternoon. (Katherine Engqvist/News Gazette staff)


Katherine Engqvist

About the Author: Katherine Engqvist

I took on the role of Bureau Chief when we created the Greater Victoria editorial hub in 2018.
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