Maple Bay volunteer firefighters had to call in the assistance of their Crofton colleagues to battle a bush fire along Genoa Bay Road just before 11 a.m. on Monday.
Four trucks and 14 firefighters from the Maple Bay hall attended the blaze on the west side of the road, and were joined by three trucks and another dozen men from Crofton. The crews were on the scene for just over two hours, fighting the 30mx20m blaze. Being on the uphill side of the road made it more challenging to battle.
"Fire likes to run uphill," Maple Bay deputy chief Mike Dunn said. "It's much easier to chase downhill."
The B.C. Forest Service also attended the fire, but their assistance wasn't required.
"They pretty much mopped up," Dunn noted.
The fire is believed to have been caused when a telephone line snapped and sparked against a high-voltage Hydro line.