bc wildfire crews found two new Vancouver Island fires over the weekend, including a one-hectare blaze near the Nanaimo River that was classified as under control on Sunday. A second fire in the Upper Little Nitinat River area west of Cowichan Lake was out the same day, while the province moved back into warmer, drier weather.
Nanaimo River fire
The larger fire was discovered Sunday near the Nanaimo River and was estimated at one hectare in size. The BC Wildfire Service determined it was human-caused, a finding that leaves the origin in a narrower lane than the second fire on Vancouver Island.
A one-hectare fire can be small on paper, but the service’s classification tells readers where the response stood that day: the blaze was under control. For people living near the river corridor, that means crews had already contained the fire’s spread instead of chasing an active run.
Upper Little Nitinat River
The second fire was discovered Sunday in the Upper Little Nitinat River area west of Cowichan Lake and was estimated at 0.009 hectares. It was out by the time the service reported it, though the cause remained under investigation.
That split result — one fire human-caused and under control, the other already extinguished with cause still being reviewed — shows how quickly conditions can change from one ignition to the next. BC Wildfire Service also pointed to warmer, drier weather returning across much of the province after a period of rainfall, and urged people to follow local fire restrictions and safe campfire habits as summer approaches.
B.C. wildfire count
As of Monday morning, there were 15 active wildfires burning across B.C., with four discovered in the previous 24 hours. By the afternoon, the total had dropped to 10 active wildfires, and six had been declared out in the last 24 hours.
June 4 had already brought a 0.5-hectare fire at Bannon Creek near Chemainus, and that blaze was out. For residents and visitors heading into the dry season, the practical message from the weekend is simple: the province is still seeing new starts, even as some are being knocked down quickly.
