RICHMOND (NEWS 1130) – The BC Wildfire Service’s water bombers have had some success when it comes to knocking down that major fire burning in Richmond.

However, officials say the fire that broke out early Friday presents a more hidden challenge for crews than some of the blazes burning across the rest of the province.

Deputy Chief Kevin Gray of the Richmond Fire Department told reporters that because the fire is burning through a marshy wetland of dead plant life and moss, flames aren’t necessarily visible above ground.

One hazardous result of the subterranean burning is hazardous ash pits, burnt-out holes in the ground almost two metres deep that are well-hidden and can cause leg injuries to firefighters and anyone in the area.

Ted Townsend with the City of Richmond says while the fire was attacked from the air for most of the day on Friday, the focus has moved back to fighting the fire from the ground in an effort to knock it down completely.

“We have 55 firefighters on the scene, that includes firefighters from Richmond fire, BC Wildfire, and the Department of National Defence,” Townsend said Saturday morning. “So they’ll be concentrating now on the ground and putting the fire out, although we still expect that’s going to be another two to three days to knock it out.”

(Courtesy @genyosha_ca via Twitter)

Despite challenges, Townsend said fire crews have been able to build a perimeter with the use of heavy equipment.

“[They] will continue to isolate the fire and concentrate on the source.”

The fire was last estimated at a size of eight hectares. No homes are impacted by the fire.

Road closures are still in place as firefighters battle flames, and people are told to avoid the area if possible.

Townsend’s other message is to exercise care when outside, with conditions quite dry around the region.

“The fire hazard is extremely dangerous,” he added. “If they’re disposing of smoking materials or any other flammable materials.”

While driving through the area on Friday, Townsend claims he witnessed a driver toss a cigarette butt out the window right near to where the fire was burning.

“That type of behaviour is what causes fires and we need people to be careful because whether it’s at this location — or pretty much anywhere else in the province right now — things are extremely dry. It does not take very much to start a fire that can have serious consequences.”

His reaction to seeing the driver carelessly throw the cigarette away? Townsend says part of him couldn’t believe it.

“We also know that cigarette butts are the number one cause of fires in Richmond and we’ve been doing a public education campaign trying to make people aware of that and aware of the dangers.”

-With files from Jon Szekeres