Firefighters in Summerland responded to a large grass fire in the Garnet Valley area of the community on the evening of July 15.

The fire, off Wildhorse Road, was reported at 9:09 p.m. and by the time crews responded, it was one hectare in size.

At the time, the temperature in Summerland was 31 C and winds were blowing from the south and the north.

Summerland Fire Chief Rob Robinson said the firefighting work was difficult as it was in hilly terrain with limited access. The nearest fire hydrant was around one kilometre from the fire.

鈥淲e were shuttling water to the fire,鈥� Robinson said.

Even with water being transported to the fire, the department deployed 900 to 1,100 metres of fire hose. 

A total of 17 firefighters responded with a bush truck, a water tender, a fire engine and two utility trucks.

Crews remained at the fire for five hours.

While the area around the fire is sparsely populated, Robinson said there was concern about a house around 300 metres from the blaze. No evacuation alerts or orders were issued.

Because of the direction of the wnds, there was a possibility the fire could have moved towards the community if the wind had picked up, Robinson said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

At present, there have been 505 wildfires reported across the province since April 1. The amount of land burned is in excess of 612,000 hectares. More than half of the province鈥檚 wildfires to date have been human-caused, according to the BC Wildfire Service.