Sooke Fire Rescue responded to four calls at the same time on Sunday, two involving small brush fires.
The two fires were caused by discarded cigarettes, said Fire Chief Kenn Mount.
“It put our resources to the limit, and two of those calls could have been avoided,” he said.
“It’s unfathomable that people would discard cigarettes improperly and cause these fires.”
In total Sunday, firefighters responded to seven calls. On average, the fire department answers three calls. Other calls included a man trapped on a roof and three medical calls.
The amount of calls put a lot of stress on firefighters, Mount said, and he’s urging residents to be careful when discarding cigarette butts and other materials in dry, hot weather.
“People need to be more aware,” Mount said.