te ra leb ce to s on as re y an m e ar e er th d an – y Da It’s Canada
GRAD SURPRISE
Sooke student earns special scholarship award. Page 23
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
CookS nEEDED
Sooke is Selling!
Meals on Wheels needs cooks to serve nutritious meals.
C O M M U N I T Y
N E W S
M E D I A
3.125x1.2” Dimock
2015 Sooke Home Sales: 195 2014 Sooke Home Sales: 300
Page 5
Black Press
/9
Agreement #40110541
75
¢
TAMMI DIMOCK
Personal Real Estate Corp.
250.642.6361
Hot weather puts fire crew on high alert Octavian Lacatusu Sooke News Mirror
Sooke fire chief Steven Sorensen was on his way to a meeting at the Otter Point fire hall when he saw columns of smoke billowing out near the Little Vienna Bakery on West Coast Road – a hedge fire was spreading quickly towards the building. Given a long wave of dry heat moving through B.C., it was one of many fire calls on Thursday. Last Week Sooke firefighters answered 10 calls, four were grass fires. The majority of calls have been bark mulch and grass fires caused by flicked cigarette butts, Sorensen said, adding that since the dry spell began more than two weeks ago, the fire department averages around three fire calls a day. “It doesn’t take much in this weather. We got a couple of beach fires that got away, and our fire numbers are up significantly,” he said. “We’re about six weeks from where we typically are for the dryness. This is like mid-August, so we wonder what midAugust will be.” Sorensen hopes the campfire ban that took effect on Friday will come as a warning of how dry and volatile the landscape has become. “If we can prevent even one fire by not having camp fires, that helps,” he said. “I feel bad for people who like to camp, but burning half the town down is not a good option either.”
Sooke firefighters battle four grass fires in one week
Octavian Lacatusu/Sooke News Mirror
Sooke firefighters Ben Temple, left, and nick Robinson check for structure damage at the Little Vienna Bakery after a fire in a nearby hedge spread to the building Thursday night. Sooke and otter Point fire departments responded to the blaze. The fire caused minimal damage, say fire officials.
CAMOSUN WESTSIDE
Please see: Fire ban extended, Page A35
IN MAILBOXES FRIDAY… SUMMER BUYERS ISSUE OUR LARGEST ISSUE 28 PAGES - GLOSSY COLOUR New listings, leading area developments, statistics community corner
HAPPY CANADA DAY!