A blaze that incinerated a trailer on Lochside Drive in Central Saanich is under investigation, and prompting a reminder about maintenance from fire crews.

Firefighters were kept busy on Saturday (July 13) starting with a 911 call from a Brentwood Bay homeowner who returned to a smoke-filled house just before 11 p.m., Fire Chief Kenn Mount told the Peninsula News Review.

A crew of 15 firefighters and six units, some coming off the fireworks shift at Butchart Gardens, handled the fire in the 1200-block of Newt Way 鈥渞elatively quickly鈥� without mutual aid.

While still under investigation, early indications are an electrical defect.

鈥淭he second incident was larger in scale,鈥� Mount said.

A fully involved fire in the 7100-block of Lochside Drive prompted multiple 911 calls, which triggered automatic mutual aid by Saanich fire.

In total, 19 members and four units from Central Saanich and four from Saanich battled the blaze.

One person was taken to hospital with burn injuries.

鈥淭hat trailer is a complete loss,鈥� Mount added.

An investigation will not be complete until investigators can speak with the injured person. But what stands out from the early morning blaze, is the inherent danger of an unkempt yard.

鈥淲e鈥檝e had a few structure fires in the last few months. A couple of the more intense ones we鈥檝e had challenges with difficult access on properties,鈥� Mount said.

It鈥檚 difficult for firefighters to traverse a 鈥減roperty of deferred maintenance鈥� adding another layer of challenge and safety risk.

They ask residents to think of FireSmart principles and practices 鈥渟o we can manoeuvre around a property and size up the situation properly.鈥� Learn more about FireSmart online at

Fireworks at Butchart Gardens are a highlight for many visitors through the year, but always up in the air as fire risk increases across the province. In a longstanding relationship, Central Saanich is traditionally supportive of the show, helping manage risks with a wildfire crew on stand-by.

鈥淭he risk is really really low for what they do there,鈥� Mount said, noting there are rarely any complaints, and copious support. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a great example of a professionally done, well-run fireworks show. There鈥檚 a big difference approving something like that versus someone launching them in their back yard in an uncontrolled manner.鈥�

A major tourist attraction on the Saanich Peninsula, Butchart Gardens cancelled its popular fireworks display late last summer when B.C. declared a state of emergency due to significant wildfires.

鈥淲e鈥檙e comfortable with that type of relationship, and we鈥檙e ready to cancel it if things escalate like they did last year.鈥�