The Langford Fire Department is reminding the public to behave with caution after a small brush fire ignited near a railway exchange in the West Shore.
At approximately 2 p.m. firefighters responded to reports of a grass fire along the tracks by the railway exchange at Jacklin Road and Station Avenue.
“The report said it was about the size of a dinner plate when it was called in,” said Assistant Chief Lance Caven in an interview with Victoria Buzz.
“When all was said and done, it was 200 feet long and about 15 feet wide.”
While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, Caven says this is an example of how dry conditions can lead to quick ignition and rapidly growing blazes.
“We’re into a prolonged dry spell here,” he said.
“It doesn’t take much. Even if you were cutting your grass and caused a spark, riding an ATV or your motorbike … Conditions are prime for fire to spread very very quickly.”
Wildfire at the Langford exchange rail tracks… crazy how fast it spreads!! @LangfordFire #Langford #fire pic.twitter.com/s3NTNEVnVu
— Liss 🇨🇦 (@CreepyAIy) September 8, 2020
There were no injuries reported in the incident and Caven said that the only property damage was to some railway ties.
He added that the department has reached out to the Island Corridor Railway Foundation about the ties.
The fire at the railway exchange follows an earlier brush fire that was sparked by a tree falling across power lines near Sooke Road and West Shore Parkway on Monday.
Caven urged the public to carefully monitor their actions during the dry spell.
“If you’re a smoker, dispose of your cigarettes properly. Don’t just discard them off to the side … think about what you’re doing.”
