WEST VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Firefighters in West Vancouver are shaking their heads after they had to to put out a smoldering, unattended campfire on Tuesday.

Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Bush says a man walking his dog in a wooded area behind the Park Royal Shopping Centre just happened to stumble across the campfire around 5 pm.

Firefighters managed to put the campfire out in about 10 minutes, but Bush says it could have turned into something serious.

“Could have very easily burned out, but it could have very easily- with the right conditions- it could have started to burn and start to burn quite rapidly with the amount of fuel that was in the immediate vicinity of where it was lit,” he warns. “It was in an area where there’s a lot very dry dust, there was quite a very dry overhanging canopy and just a very, very, very, irresponsible thing to do given these conditions.”

West Van Firefighters extinguishing an intentionally set brush fire 800 blk Main St. With high to extreme fire conditions this is a bad idea. Please be responsible @globalnews @CTVVancouver @CBCNews @WestVanPolice @NEWS1130 @WestVanDistrict pic.twitter.com/w4PXucpp67 — W V Fire & Rescue (@WestVanFireDept) August 1, 2018

Bush was hoping the fire safety message that’s gone out throughout the summer, would have sunken in by now.

“With the amount of public education that’s been going out and the messaging that’s been sent out,” he says “Considering the dry conditions, considering the Richmond fire, which I was really hoping that this would have hit home with a lot of people. It’s very, very surprising that someone would be that brazen.”

Bush is asking people to use some common sense, which includes avoiding beach fires, which he says are a bad idea.