View Royal residents can pick up practical wildfire safety tips while enjoying a free community barbecue on July 18, 2026. The Town of View Royal is hosting a FireSmart Wildfire Awareness Community BBQ from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., ahead of what forecasters warn could be another challenging fire season on Vancouver Island.
Ryan Eason, FireSmart Coordinator with View Royal Fire Rescue, says the family-friendly event is a chance to meet neighbours and first responders while learning simple steps to protect homes from wildfire. “We are proud to be among the communities in BC currently offering the FireSmart BC Wildfire Mitigation Program in an effort to mitigate the impacts of wildfire,” Eason said.
Free home assessments are available through the program, which helps property owners identify risks and make their properties more resilient. The barbecue builds on the town’s ongoing FireSmart work, including a Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan completed in January 2025. That assessment found about 80 percent of public land has a low wildfire threat rating and 20 percent a moderate rating.
View Royal is no stranger to nearby fire activity. The Old Man Lake fire in July 2024 burned roughly 230 hectares of forest near Sooke Potholes Regional Park, the closest recent wildfire to the community. In 2025, the Wesley Ridge fire near Cameron Lake forced evacuation orders for almost 400 properties on the Island, part of a season that saw 886,300 hectares burn across British Columbia.
The BC Wildfire Service says persistent drought on Vancouver Island means fire activity is expected to be above normal through July and August, with fires that could be vigorous and tough to control. Similar conditions have not been seen since the severe seasons of 2017, 2018, and 2021.
In December 2025, the Stonecliffe Strata on Chilco Road became the first FireSmart Recognized Neighbourhood in Greater Victoria, after residents completed coordinated wildfire risk reduction work. Organizers hope the barbecue will inspire more View Royal residents to take similar steps.
