Firefighters extinguished a blaze at a popular Nanaimo park and beach area overnight.
Nanaimo Fire Rescue, with two engines and a wildland unit responding, was called out to Pipers Lagoon Park at 11 p.m. Friday, July 12, after a report of a bush fire. Evidence of the fire could be seen at an area a short distance from the entrance, with the smell of burned foliage and charred plants and tree trunks. The area measured approximately 60 by 120 metres, Nanaimo RCMP said in a press release.
Police attended the scene to assist fire crews as there were approximately 150 youths in the park, many alleged to be "openly consuming alcohol," noted the press release, and the youths were eventually cleared out.
Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog, who was notified about the incident at midnight, told the News Bulletin it was "a fairly extensive fire," with reports indicating the youths were reportedly playing with fireworks.
"Currently, we are covered by the provincial ban, there's no open fires," said Krog. "The sale of fireworks in the city has been prohibited for years; you can only set off fireworks if you have a permit. Obviously, no one had a permit for last night's event. So it really does offend public order and public safety on every level that they would engage in this kind of stupid, dangerous behaviour."
Krog said he hopes those who are responsible are held accountable.
"I am angry and frustrated that people, I don't care how young you are, would be stupid enough to gather and set off fireworks in the height of the summer and fire season in one of our most beloved parks, putting at risk one of our most valued ecological nature parks in the city," he said. "It was strikingly stupid behaviour and I hope that those who were responsible for this are caught and I hope they're prosecuted fully."
Stu Kenning, Nanaimo Fire Rescue assistant chief, said the department is investigating to find the people responsible for starting the fire.
"We're trying to track down, from videos on the internet, who possibly caused it or what group of kids were there. We're trying to track down those people right now," Kenning said. "There's quite a few videos floating around on social media of kids videoing the fire. Whether they were the ones that started it or not, we're just trying to track that down. We're working with the RCMP to track down possible people."
Kenning said the fire primarily burned ground foliage.
"It looks like the trees are fine," he said. "Our city arborist is going to take a look at the trees to make sure they're fine and they'll assess those today."
Kenning said there was no danger to the public, no homes were threatened and no one was injured.
Reserve Const. Gary O'Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson, lauded firefighters for their "quick action" and Chief Tim Doyle, of Nanaimo Fire Rescue, echoed Krog's sentiments and reminded park-goers to be mindful when outdoors.
"This preventable fire is highly concerning due to the hot, dry conditions that are ideal for wildfires," Doyle said in the press release. "We all need to be vigilant about our actions outdoors in the coming months … Please take all necessary precautions while enjoying the outdoors."
Pipers Lagoon was open for park-goers by Saturday afternoon.
Police are seeking more information on the incident and ask anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has video evidence to call the Nanaimo RCMP's non-emergency line at 250-754-2345, citing file No. 2024-22159.
