A group of teens got a talking-to from District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services on Sunday after they were caught letting a trailside campfire burn overnight in extreme wildfire risk conditions.
A hiker noticed the campers and their smouldering campfire and called 911 around 7:30 a.m. Sunday, according to Assistant Chief Mark Dear. A park ranger led crews to the campsite near the Varley Trail.
“Due to the current extreme conditions, results of the surface fire were deep into the ground, which required significant digging and water application,” he said. “The youth that made the fire were provided education on how their actions may have caused a significantly greater fire if it was left unattended.”
Neither camping nor campfires are allowed in Lynn Canyon, Dear added.
After a full day of rain Monday, the wildfire risk had fallen to “low,” but Dear said it would take significant amounts of rain being absorbed by the forest duff to prevent the risk from quickly rising when the precipitation ends.
Since April 1, 2023, there have been 1,454 wildfires that have burned more than 1.48 million hectares of land in British Columbia. Already, there have been three wildfires on the North Shore this summer.
