A forest fire near the Malaspina hydro substation smoked out the Coast from Garden Bay to Sechelt on Wednesday.
With intensely dry, hot weather, fire bans across the region and the Sunshine Coast Regional District warning citizens to minimize water usage so there are reserves for fighting fires, fears became a reality July 29 as a forest fire started near Garden Bay.
"It's difficult terrain to get to," said Pender Harbour Fire Chief Don Murray. "We couldn't get the big truck in on the road."
Murray said the alarm came in around 1 a.m. and his crew were at the scene by 1:30. "It was a fairly substantial fire between the Malaspina substation and the Petro-Canada," he said.
Murray said BC Hydro arrived on scene and noticed that a hydro line wire was low to the ground. He advised Murray and his team to withdraw for safety reasons around 7 a.m.
"When we left it was about 80 per cent contained," he said.
Ministry of Forests firefighters took over, using a helicopter with bladders to dump water on the fire, but Ellie Dupont from the Coastal Fire Centre, said the wings were stirring up too much wind, so a ground crew took over.
"They're using a bladder and hoses and the size hasn't changed that we know of. It's .7 hectares and the edges are blanketed. They laid fire retardant to box it in," Dupont said.
