Crews continue to fight out of control wildfire near Sooke

Fire crews have been hard at work near Shirley, fighting a wildfire that began on Tuesday.

Fire crews have been hard at work near Shirley, fighting a wildfire that began on Tuesday.

“I smelt a bit of smoke this morning but it seems to have gone now,” said Bob Liptrot, owner of Tugwell Creek Honey Farm and Meadery.

The cause of the smoke that Liptrot woke up to on Wednesday was a 1.4 hectare wildfire, currently considered to be burning out-of-control three kilometres north of Otter Point.

“We responded with an initial attack crew and a helicopter,” said Gordon Robinson, an information officer with the Coastal Fire Centre.

“Neighbours heard some water bombers yesterday, we were not home,” said Liptrot.

Crews quickly called in an air tanker, taking water from nearby Gordon Bay.

“Which put a nice box or retardant around it while our additions crew arrived,” said Robinson.