Fire departments in the Sooke region are preparing for what they’re predicting as yet another hot and dry summer.
With a mix of rain and dry heat in recent weeks, Sooke Fire Rescue’s fire hazard sits at “low” while Otter Point Fire Rescue’s was moved up to “moderate” over the weekend.
In the coming weeks it could still continue to fluctuate, perhaps even more dramatically, as a hot summer is in the cards, noted Sooke Fire Rescue assistant fire chief Matt Barney, adding that despite some wet and cold days, the fire hazard did spike to moderade for a couple of days, but went down again due to rain.
“Even though we’ve had a lot of rain, it is still fairly dry out there. It could bump up to moderate or high fairly quick if we get seven to eight days straight of dryness and heat,” he said.
In addition to monitoring fire hazard signs more closely, open burning is no longer allowed, other than camp fires, effective as of June 1 and remains in place until September 30.
“This is a reminder to all to start thinking about fire safety outside the home as well as inside. Start getting in the habit of checking our hazard signs every time you enter the district,” Otter Point Fire wrote in a recent Facebook post.
To stay up to date on the fire hazard status in the Sooke region, please visit East Sooke Fire, Sooke Fire, Otter Point and Shirley Fire departments on Facebook.