BC Wildfire crews are battling a wildfire at Porteau Cove. The fire that started yesterday evening has now been ‘held’.
According to BC Wildfire Service, when a fire is ‘held’, it indicates that sufficient suppression action has been taken and fire is not likely to spread beyond existing or predetermined boundaries under the prevailing and forecasted condition.
The fire started around 6 pm on Saturday, said Dorthe Jakobsen, a fire information officer with BC Wildfire Service.
The fire is less than 2 hectares in area, and its approximate location is at Porteau Road off ramp.
Jacobson said it is suspected the fire was human caused although that has yet to be confirmed.
“We don’t want to speculate on how the fire was started, and we will be investigating this,” she said.
Another update by BC Wildfire Service can be expected later in the day.
Of the 214 wildfires that have burned in B.C. from April 1 to May 19, 2021, as many as 168 were human caused.
“Human-caused fires are completely preventable and can unnecessarily divert firefighting resources from naturally occurring wildfires,” says Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.