No charges for fiery video shot on Vancouver Island lake for Red Bull

An American film crew will not face charges over a fiery surfing stunt on a lake near Tofino, B.C.

The Ministry of Environment says a film shoot on Kennedy Lake, where a group of surfers set a log on fire and surfed over it at top speeds, was unwise, but there's no evidence it caused environmental damage. 

"While it looked and was kind of stupid, there really isn`t any environmental concerns associated with it," said B.C. Conservation Officer Service Sgt. Ben York.

The segment was posted to Red Bull TV's website in August, and quickly attracted widespread criticism from environmentalists and tourist operators alike. 

"I felt absolutely disgusted," said Josh Temple of Ocean Outfitters at the time.

"I see one of our local watersheds on fire. These guys are just pouring gasoline into our local watershed and lighting it on fire for the sake of their video."

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York says the fire was likely set using a mix of gas and diesel, but wouldn't be surprised if it was "just a little bit of oil-gas boat mix".

"Realistically, probably more fuel goes into the water from someone filling up their fishing boat than from what those folks put on that deadhead," he said.

Red Bull Media House has not said how the log was ignited in the first place, but took down the video and apologized shortly after the criticism began.   

Even though charges won't be laid, York hopes the incident serves as a cautionary tale.

"I'd like to think the very negative backlash from the locals and the First Nations, and everybody pretty much recognized this was a pretty stupid thing to do, so I am hoping nobody else thinks it's a good idea."