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A wildfire burning northwest of Nanaimo that had forced hundreds to flee is now under control, while crews are making progress on another blaze southwest of that city.
The B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) announced Saturday evening that crews made significant progress in fighting the Wesley Ridge wildfire burning on the north banks of Cameron Lake, about 50 kilometres northwest of Nanaimo in southeast Vancouver Island.
Firefighters are still in the area patrolling and extinguishing hot spots, according to the BCWS.
In total, the fire burned nearly six square kilometres of land and was previously listed as being held.
At its peak, nearly 400 properties were under evacuation order due to the fire, and hundreds more were on evacuation alert, which meant residents had to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
Karley Desrosiers, a BCWS fire information officer, told CBC News on Sunday morning that the area of the fire remained an active worksite.
The fire is burning in an area near Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park, parts of which remain closed to support wildfire operations.
“We’re asking the public to continue to avoid the area,” Desrosiers said.
“Just keep in mind that after fire has impacted a region, there are a number of hazards in place,” she added. “So although we have good news, still some precaution to take for folks that are in the area.”
Mount Underwood fire still burning
As of 7:20 a.m. PT on Sunday, there are 75 wildfires currently burning in British Columbia, four of which are out of control.
One of those is the Mount Underwood fire burning just south of Port Alberni, B.C., which is further south of the Wesley Ridge blaze.
The Mount Underwood fire grew aggressively after it was first detected last Monday, and currently covers an area of 36 square kilometres, burning around eight kilometres south of Port Alberni.
That community has been on edge since the fire first started, but officials said Saturday that the fire received more than 30 millimetres of rain on Friday, and fire activity had been reduced as a result.
Evacuation orders and alerts are still in place related to the fire, including the order for the China Creek campground and the alert for parts of the Cameron Heights neighbourhood on the southern edge of the City of Port Alberni.
Desrosiers said there was no timeline for when those orders could be called down, but the rain was giving crews the opportunity to make headway on fighting the fire.
She added that two millimetres of rain had also fallen on the blaze on Saturday, but a return to hot and dry conditions was forecast for the end of early next week.
“As it stands, given that this is a 3,600-hectare fire, until we get containment in those priority areas with the return to hot and dry conditions, we can’t necessarily predict when when those [evacuation orders] will be able to come off,” she said.
Rain in the forecast in Port Alberni is bringing from much-needed relief for the wildifre situation there.
But smoke continues to blanket the area, as the Mount Underwood wildfire now covers more than 34 square kilometres.
The fire has cut off access to the remote community of Bamfield, south of Port Alberni, as well as knocked out power to 500 B.C. Hydro customers in the area.
On Saturday, the utility said it began work to restore power, but said full repairs could take up to two weeks.
The provincial power provider said the work will include replacing 56 power poles and 70 spans of power line — roughly 20 kilometres in total.
Desrosiers said that wildfire crews were working directly with B.C. Hydro to give power crews access, and urged people to stay away from the road linking Port Alberni to Bamfield, as there were “significant hazards” in the area.
“While those communities are without power, we do ask that people avoid going there as they have limited capability to support tourists at this time,” she said of Bamfield and the surrounding communities.
