Vancouver firefighters rushed to snuff a brush fire in the woods above Wreck Beach at the University of B.C. late Thursday.

Photos of the fire began to circulate on social media around 8:45 p.m., and by shortly after 9 p.m., the blaze had spread to about 550 square metres, said Dan Wood, an assistant operations chief with Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services.

A fire boat was called in to assist ground crews trying to slow the flames spreading on the dry hillside.

By 10 p.m., crews had the fire “knocked down” and were hitting remaining hot spots, according to an update posted on the Twitter account of Local 18 of the International Association of Firefighters.

mrobinson@vancouversun.com