A massive fire at Burns Bog in Delta yesterday sent thick clouds of smoke floating above the area.

Fire crews from Delta were on the scene last night trying to battle the blaze as flames shot high in the air in the environmentally sensitive area.

The bog is particularly susceptible to fires because it is full of peat, which is highly flammable when dry. What's more, battling the fires can be tricky, with the blazes being pushed underground beneath layers of peat.

There have been several large fires at the bog.

A 1999 fire at a nearby landfill took two months to extinguish, costing almost $4 million.

An enormous 1996 fire that was started by a discarded cigarette destroyed 170 acres of trees.

Burns Bog is one of the largest undeveloped urban land masses in North America and is home to many rare plants and animals. Parts of Burns Bog are privately owned while much of the bog is held by the provincial government as a nature reserve.