Small wildfire in Metro Vancouver regional park no longer burning out of control
Fire in Coquitlam's Minnekhada Regional Park is suspected to be human caused
A small wildfire sparked in a Metro Vancouver park last weekend is no longer considered out of control, according to the district.
A statement from Metro Vancouver Regional District says ground crews with aerial support have accessed "critical areas'' and established hose lines around the perimeter of the fire in Coquitlam's Minnekhada Regional Park.
The park remains closed as a 50-person ground crew continues suppression efforts with support from a helicopter dumping water on hot spots of the fire, which is being held at 14 hectares — more than three times the size of B.C. Place Stadium.
Human activity is the suspected cause of the fire, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service. Its website shows 183 wildfires burning in B.C., with 15 sparked in the last two days as unseasonably warm and dry conditions persist across much of the province.
Conditions remain "exceptionally dry'' for this time of year in the Metro Vancouver region, with a high to extreme fire danger rating heading into the long weekend.