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Bucket brigade douses beach fire

An abandoned beach fire raised concerns with Oak Bay police and fire officials last weekend.

An abandoned beach fire raised concerns with Oak Bay police and fire officials last weekend.

Police spotted the fire at 9 a.m. Saturday on Willows Beach near Bowker Avenue.

“There were still areas of open flame on the remaining bits of wood,” said police chief Mark Fisher. “It was obvious to officers that it had been a very hot fire due to the radiant heat from the sand and rocks.”

It appeared that no attempt had been made to put out the fire.

Oak Bay fire crews attended and extinguished the fire with buckets of water.

“The heat from this fire extended over an area of one square metre. It took at least seven large buckets of water to cool the beach enough that the water stopped instantly boiling on contact,” said Fisher.

“One can only imagine what injuries would have resulted had a child stepped in this area,” he added.

Outdoor fires, including backyard burning and beach fires, are not permitted in Oak Bay.