A wildfire in North Vancouver was quickly doused by crews after it quickly spread this afternoon.
The District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services responded to the call around 1:15 p.m. says Asst. Chief Dwayne Derban, after a hiker called in reporting smoke in the area at the bottom of Grouse Mountain near Mosquito Creek.
Crews arrived near the scene and spotted a fire about 1 m in size, but they had to relocate to get close enough to attack the fire. By the time they got to the fire, about 20 minutes later, it had grown to cover 100 sq. metres, Derban says.
"All they had was a shovel and a bucket," he says of the first firefighters to arrive on the scene.
Luckily their truck was able to park nearby and get water flowing onto the fire, while more crews and equipment were set up to pump water to the site.
"It was maybe 50 yards off the road so everything was accessible with our equipment," Derban says.
As of 3:15 p.m. the fire is pretty much out he adds.
"We're standing by in the area to make sure nothing flares up," he adds.
The fire wasn't far from homes and was actually located underneath BC Hydro lines. The fire spread through an area covered in brush and small trees, never making it to the thicker forest that covers much of the mountain.
"We thought about (calling BC Wildfire Services), but didn't need to call it in the end," Derban says, explaining some on the crew have experience fighting fires either working with or for the BCWS.
He notes that while this was a relatively small wildfire, it is the fourth so far this year in the area; in normal years there's only one, though they are often bigger.
It also moved quite quickly in the dry environment; Derban cautions people to be aware when out hiking.
"Be cognizant of the speed fires move," he warns. "Make sure you're careful if you're in those areas."
A local, Emmanuel Blasset, caught some of the incident on video via a drone.
fire in #northVan near powerline trail pic.twitter.com/awxgIrMmhB
— Emmanuel Blasset (@mblasset) August 7, 2023
