The still-‘out of control’ Wesley Ridge wildfire on Vancouver Island has now grown to around 571 hectares in size, according to the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS).
The blaze is located along the northwest banks of Cameron Lake, approximately halfway between Port Alberni and Parksville.
This week-old fire was discovered on Thursday, July 31st, and quickly grew from a small wildfire to what it is now, despite the best efforts of firefighters.
According to the latest update from BCWS, the priority for crews battling this wildfire continues to be the protection of residences, properties and critical infrastructure.
Latest response update
Wednesday, August 6th brought with it cooler temperatures, which allowed firefighters to take more aggressive action on the wildfire.
“They have made excellent progress in suppressing fire activity in residential areas and are now advancing to build containment lines along the more remote parts of the northern flank,” said BCWS in their latest update.
Firefighters are specifically trying to protect the Little Qualicum River Village & Park area, which is the most populated area adjacent to this blaze.
BCWS says that structure protection has been established on residences in the area, as well as critical infrastructure and assets that could be threatened by the Wesley Ridge wildfire.
One challenge firefighters have been facing in taming this blaze has been the difficult terrain on which it burns.
“On the southern and western edges of the fire along Cameron Lake, the fire is burning in inaccessible and challenging terrain where there are large amounts of timber and forest fuels available,” said BCWS.
Firefighters have been attacking this fire from all sides possible, despite the challenging terrain.
On the western shore of Cameron Lake, crews and helicopters are working to prevent further growth of the fire along the shore of Cameron Lake.
However, higher upslope along the western edge of the Wesley Ridge wildfire, ground access is limited, so heavy equipment must work its way into this area.
Along the northern edge of the fire, ground crews are working to remove fuel from between the free-burning edge of the wildfire. Heavy equipment is being utilized here to create a safe and workable area for firefighters.
The northwest perimeter is the area that saw some overnight expansion, despite the efforts of night vision-equipped helicopters and ground crews working through the night, extinguishing hotspots.
In addition to the update on the situation, BCWS wants to remind boaters on Cameron Lake that aircraft responding to the fire need plenty of space to safely and quickly collect water to help fight fires.
They ask all boaters in an area where active wildfires are present to clear the area and stay near the shore to avoid interfering with firefighting operations.
“Recreational boaters or people using other watercraft who try to get a close-up look at the aircraft present a serious safety risk to air crews, themselves and anyone else in the area,” said BCWS.
“This behaviour also affects our ability to fight a fire or practice safely, since aircraft cannot collect water when a boat is in the intended flight path.”
BCWS added that boat wakes can also pose a danger to water scooping aircraft.
Weather conditions
BCWS says that yesterday’s brief stint of rain brought about 1.4 millimeters of precipitation down on the Wesley Ridge wildfire.
Thursday’s weather conditions will be mostly cloudy with showers possible again in the afternoon.
The high is forecasted to be around 25°C in the region, with 50% humidity and light winds.
Visibility is expected to be a challenge for the wildfire response, as conditions are smoky in the region, but some of the smoke may dissipate once temperatures approach 20°C.
BCWS says that while conditions will remain cooler and wetter through Thursday, Friday will bring with it a return to a heating and drying pattern.
Evacuations
Because of the severity of the wildfire, the Regional District of Nanaimo has issued evacuation orders for several areas immediately around the Wesley Ridge wildfire burn zone, and an evacuation warning has been issued for more areas.
In the Wesley Ridge wildfire’s latest update, some areas under evacuation order have been downgraded to just an evacuation warning.
Those in the evacuation order zone should have already vacated their homes and workplaces in the area.
People who live and work in the area of the evacuation warning zone should have a plan for how to get to safety, and know where they should be going.
Evacuation information can be found online through the BCWS Wesley Ridge wildfire webpage.
Air quality warning issued
Smoke from the Wesley Ridge wildfire has prompted Island Health to issue an air quality warning for some areas of east-central Vancouver Island.
These areas include Nanoose Bay, Parksville, Coombs, Qualicum Beach, Fanny Bay, Denman Island, Hornby Island, Lasqueti Island.
Additionally, some central-inland regions of Vancouver Island have had air quality warnings issued, including Lake Cowichan, Nahmint, Port Alberni, as well as portions of Strathcona Park and Schoen Lake Provincial Park.
Read the full Air Quality Warning for more information and actions you can take.
