Fires in Campbell River urban forest this morning under investigation

Firefighters turned out in force to make sure two fires in the Beaver Lodge Lands June 14 didn't spread. Photo by Grant Warkentin / Vista Staff

BC Wildfire Services are investigating after putting out two fires in Campbell River’s Beaver Lodge Forest Lands early this morning.

Shortly after sunrise this morning two fires were reported near the trails accessed from the South McPhedran Road parking lot. The fire department was quickly on scene with two trucks and a full crew of regular and volunteer firefighters, backed up by BC Wildfire Services and RCMP.

Avery Morach, response officer with BC Wildfire, says both fires are out but the trails were closed this morning while his team checks for other fires and collects evidence.

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“The fire department responded here at 6 in the morning, they received a call for two fires just about 100 feet in the woods here down the main trail,” he says. “Our crews now are here, we’re going to take over and completely extinguish the fire and do a scan for any more fires in the area, and any evidence will be preserved for a fire investigator to come in.”

Morach says both fires were human-caused, and were within 1,000 feet of each other in the forest.

The Beaver Lodge Lands are a protected forest in the middle of Campbell River, popular with walkers, hikers and cyclists.