The wildfire that began on Burnaby Mountain Sunday morning is under control.
The fire began around 10 a.m. on the north side of Burnaby Mountain and grew to 30 by 80 metres, says Burnaby's Assistant Fire Chief Rick Weir.
“It grew rapidly, it got up into the canopies of the trees,” says Weir, noting that dozens of firefighters responded to the blaze. “[Crews] did their best to contain it... and the fire is contained at this time.”
BC Coastal Fire is assisting from the ground, and a helicopter is on standby if needed. Homes in the area are not currently threatened by the blaze.
Burnaby resident Marissa Bowsfield says she could smell the smoke in the morning.
“It’s really kind of shocking to see it down on the mountain and see the smoke coming up,” says Bowsfield. “But it seems like everything is mostly under control. Hopefully the worst is over.”
Officials suspect it was a tossed cigarette that caused the fire. Crews will remain at the scene for the majority of the day – and have a message for the public.
“To the public, really be careful out there with your smoking material,” says Weir. “The forests are tinder dry, this is my fifth [fire] in three days that I’ve been on...The crews are working extremely hard right now.”
With files from CTV Vancouver's Sarah MacDonald
