Evacuation alert lifted for area near Sunshine Coast wildfire

An evacuation alert for several properties has been liftedas fire crews continue to battle asmall wildfire near Pender Harbour on B.C.'s Sunshine Coast.

Seven addresses on Cecil Hill Road were on alert for nearly 24 hours as a wildfire burnedon the steep slope above the homes. The fire broke out at about 5 p.m. PT on Monday and "crept down the hill" toward the houses overnight.

The fire has since grown to nine hectares in since, but the evacuation alert was rescinded just before 10 a.m. PT on Wednesday.

More than two dozen firefighters and severalhelicopters have been deployed to fight the fire.

Air tankers have also been dumping fire retardant in the area:

Helicopter dumps water on wildfire on B.C.'s Sunshine Coast

5 years ago

Duration 0:18

More than a dozen crews fought a small wildfire on a steep, forested hill near Pender Harbour, B.C., on June 24, 2019.

The fire is burning on a steep hill in an area with dense forest canopy, MacPherson said.

"It's a low-intensity ground fire, so it's burning underneath the trees. It's not the trees themselves that are on fire," she said.

The source of the fire is still under investigation, but it's believed to be human caused. It is the latest in a handful of wildfires that ignited in the last week in the coastal region.

Conditions on the South Coast continue to bevery dry.