Wildfires on northern Vancouver Island may have been deliberately set
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Police on Vancouver Island say they are looking for suspects involved in lighting multiple wildfires near the north island community of Sayward .
B.C. is in the midst one of the province's worst wildfire seasons on record, during which firefighters have responded to multiple wildfires on Vancouver Island. According to Sayward RCMP, several wildfires on the island were human-caused and may have been intentionally lit.
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Sayward, a town of of approximately 300 people, is located in a remote area on the northeast coast of Vancouver Island. Police say that people were in the area of the Browning Creek Fire, about a 10-minute drive south of town, right before its discovery on Monday, July 3.
(BC Wildfire Service via CBC)
"Witnesses in the area of Browning Creek just prior to its discovery observed some quad riders nearby," said Staff Sgt. Kris Clark of the B.C. RCMP in a statement.
"Police are looking to speak with anyone, including the riders, who may have seen anything suspicious in the area of the Browning Creek fire, or any of the other fires."
Police are also investigating the cause of the area's Newcastle Creek Fire, which is 230 hectares in size, and is currently being held. Other nearby fires also suspected to be human-caused were along the Memekay River, White River and Big Tree Mainlines, all of which have been suppressed, say police.
RCMP Island District General Investigations Section is leading the investigation and anyone with information on the fires is encouraged to contact them at (250)-331-6010.
Although it's still early in the summer, wildfires have already scorched nearly 10,500 square kilometres of land in the province, according to Cliff Chapman, operations director for the B.C. Wildfire Service. This represents the third-highest burned area ever recorded in B.C.
Thumbnail courtesy of BC Wildfire Service via CBC.
The article was written by Tessa Vikander and published for CBC News. It contains files from The Canadian Press.