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Metro Vancouver regional park wildfire now under control at 14 hectares

District warns ‘even a small heat source can spark a major fire’
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About 50 BC Wildfire Service and Metro Vancouver crew members continue to fight the Minnekhada Regional Park from the ground Oct. 4, 2022. (@metrovanemerg/Twitter)

The wildfire in Coquitlam’s Minnekhada Regional Park is back under control following a couple days of concern.

The blaze first broke out on Saturday (Oct. 1) and posed little risk at first at just one hectare in size. By Sunday though, it had grown to 11.6 hectares and the BC Wildfire Service designated it as “out of control.”

The concerning classification remained in place throughout the day Monday as the fire grew to 14 hectares, but as of midday Tuesday the Metro Vancouver Regional District says the blaze is under control.

“Work by ground crews and aerial support over the past 24 hours has allowed firefighters to access critical areas and establish hose lines around the fire perimeter,” the district said in a statement.

Tuesday, 50 BC Wildfire Service and Metro Vancouver crew members are fighting the fire from the ground, with several others battling it from helicopters as well.

The fire is believed to have been caused by a person. The district hasn’t specified how that was done, but said Tuesday that “even a small heat source can spark a major fire.”

Minnekhada Regional Park remains closed.

READ ALSO: Hot, dry conditions expected to continue as dozens of B.C. temperature records set


@janeskrypnek
jane.skrypnek@blackpress.ca

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About the Author: Jane Skrypnek

I'm a provincial reporter for Black Press Media after starting as a community reporter in Greater Victoria.
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