(Municipal sign on Mt Prevost )
Wildfire on Mount Prevost raises issue of target shooting, campfires in Municipal Forest Reserve
'There are lots of activities on Mount Prevost that we do not condone,' says municipal official
The BC Wildfire Service says that the cause of a wildfire on the north side of Mount Prevost could be related to firearms use, highlighting enforcement challenges in the Municipal Forest Reserve.
The municipality posts signs in the 5,000-hectare forest reserve warning against target shooting and campfires, but such activities remain widespread due to limited enforcement.
"There are lots of activities that take place on Mount Prevost and the surrounding areas that we do not condone," Shaun Mason, director of parks and recreation for North Cowichan, told sixmountains.ca on Wednesday. "But we do the best we can to patrol and discourage such activities."
North Cowichan has announced that the gates to the forest reserve will be closed to vehicle traffic effective Thursday for the summer season at Mount Prevost, Mount Sicker and Grace Road.
Hiking, cycling and horseback riding are still permitted in these areas.
The BC Wildfire Service said: "Humans start wildfires in several ways, either by accident or intentionally. This wildfire is being investigated as it may be related to firearms use."
Wildfire staff will work with natural resource officers on a follow-up investigation. No further specifics were provided.
On Monday, the wildfire was described as one hectare and out of control.
On Wednesday, the wildfire was estimated at 2.23 hectares and under control.
The BC Wildfire Service said: "Three initial attack crews, a response officer, two pieces of heavy equipment and two water tenders are on site today. The fire is contained and good progress continues being made."
The wildfire is very close to Mosaic private forest lands.
(Mt Prevost wildfire; BC Wildfire Service)
Mason said he understands that the fire occurred in an area where logging was completed in early 2019 and planted later that spring.
"Based on the burn area map on the BCWS webmap, it does appear the fire burnt into the timber some on the western side of the mapped area," Mason said.
He added: "Forestry staff are staying out of the way of the firefighting efforts for now, but will assess the area next week and make a plan to replant later this fall or spring 2027."
Mason said it's hard to say if closing the gates earlier could have prevented this wildfire.
"There are other ways to access Mount Prevost/Sicker which are outside of our control, but we do the best we can to monitor for illegal entry points and let other landowners know if there are issues with access from their property.
"Despite our best efforts, some folks are determined to gain access and often there is little we can do about stopping it — motorbikes, for example, which can easily get around gates.
"People will commonly damage locks/gates or simply make a trail around them. As these entry points are discovered, we address them but often it is a short-term solution as other entry points are made in other locations. We conduct regular patrols throughout the week and address any issues as they are discovered."
In August 2018, an arsonist is thought to have caused a wildfire on Maple Mountain in the Municipal Forest Reserve.
According to a North Cowichan forestry report, fighting the 5.9-hectare wildfire cost the municipality $122,314 and the BC Wildfire Service about $210,000.
Read more: https://www.sixmountains.ca/article/99de1075-b1fd-4eeb-8545-b2663e1e88b8
In August 2021, the Copper Canyon wildfire (also considered human caused) on Mosaic lands on the back side of Mount Sicker burned 32 hectares.
The province spent more than $800,000 fighting that fire.
Mosaic said at the time it "spent money in that same order of magnitude through our own staff, contractors, equipment and supplies under the command of the province."
Read More: https://www.sixmountains.ca/article/8a767e13-a2af-45d5-9af9-2636e5c4bd09
(Copper Canyon wildfire; BC Wildfire Service)
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(Note: on June 13, 2026, Larry Pynn won a Canadian Association of Journalists gold award for best community-based investigative journalism for his series on an unauthorized landfill on Cowichan Tribes reserve land in North Cowichan. https://www.sixmountains.ca/article/fa79807e-83f7-49a9-89ae-996360e06248 )
— Larry Pynn, July 8, 2026
