View Royal Fire Rescue responded to yet another call for smouldering mulch this morning, this time at Hallowell and Admirals roads.
Assistant fire chief Rob Marshall said firefighters found bark mulch smouldering from a cigarette butt discarded under a bed of cedar trees.
Fortunately the fire was put out before it spread to the trees and the nearby vehicles in a parking lot, he said.
This is the fourth call related to smouldering in a week, he added. The calls have predominantly due to discarded cigarette butts.
“It’s dry out there already,” Marshall said.
ALSO READ: Cigarettes ignite rash of fires on Island Highway
ALSO READ: Firefighters tackle 20 grassfires in B.C. city in two days
View Royal saw a mere 17.5 millimeters of rainfall this March, according to data from the weather station in View Royal Elementary School.
This year had the lowest amount of rainfall for the month of March since data recording began in November 2006. Rainfall averages during this period have verged on 89mm.
The drought is a sign for the coming months with the start of fire season, Marshall said.
“We need to get into a habit of vigilance.”
ALSO READ: Firefighters on scene of fire at Sooke Industrial Park
swikar.oli@goldstreamgazette.com
