A lightning storm in the early morning hours of June 28 resulted in eight new spot fires, including one in the Sunshine Coast region.
According to a media release from the Coastal Fire Centre, a fire was reported south of Southgate River, east of Bute Inlet, north of the qathet region. The release stated that the fire was .009 of a hectare in size and that a four-person initial attack crew had been dispersed.
“All of these fires are small spot fires and due to relatively low indices, none are expected to grow or challenge firefighting efforts,” the release stated. “No values or communities are at risk at this time. Crews have been assigned to these incidents and are currently either accessing or actioning these fires, through initial attack crews, and/or determining access routes in more remote locations.
“The Coastal Fire Centre will be continuing helicopter and foot patrols over the next several days to monitor for any additional fires that may have been sparked by lightning.”
Two of the lightning-induced fires are located in the Fraser Valley, four are in the Bella Coola Valley region and one is on northern Vancouver Island, in addition to the Southgate River fire.
The fire centre indicates that to report a wildfire, call 1.800.663.5555 toll free, or *5555 on a mobile phone.
For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, go to bcwildfire.ca. Information is also available on Twitter, at twitter.com/bcgovfireinfo, or on Facebook, at facebook.com/bcforestfireinfo.
