Fight against wildfire near Nanaimo could take weeks, says B.C. Wildfire Service
Change to cooler temperatures this weekend could bring stronger winds
Crews have overcome a week of hot, dry conditions to make progress on a wildfire burning south of Nanaimo.
But they warn the fight against the 179-hectare Nanaimo Lakes fire that has been threatening several dozen homes on Vancouver Island could take weeks.
"We are definitely not going to pull resources off until we have containment on this fire and we feel that it's not going to challenge or threaten any properties around it," said Dimitri Vaisius of the B.C. Wildfire Service.
"There will be a presence on this fire for weeks certainly."
The suspected human-caused fire started on Aug. 5.
Containment along the eastern side where homes are located has been the top priority for wildfire crews. The fire has been moving north instead.
"We've taken advantage of wind conditions to burn back to the guard. It's the safest way to make sure that we actually get containment," said Vaisius.
"We had a very successful burn on the northeast corner of this and hope we won't have any further spread to the east."
The fire, one of the largest in years to threaten homes on Vancouver Island, is considered 25-per-cent contained.
For those living nearby, it's been nearly a week of being on edge. An evacuation order is in place for a camping area and one home. Another 77 rural properties are under an evacuation alert.
Mike Gogo, who has been preparing to defend his Christmas tree farm and sawmill with firefighting equipment of his own, says he's feeling more optimistic.
"A few days ago I was really worried for the first time in my life," he said.
Cooler weather is in the forecast for the weekend, but that change could also bring stronger winds that have fire crews concerned.
Extremely dry conditions
The Nanaimo Lakes fire is not the only one burning on Vancouver Island.
Fire crews expect to be dousing hot spots for several more days at Maple Mountain near Duncan. An evacuation alert remains in effect for homes in the area east of Osborne Bay Road from Herd Road to Tatlo Road West.
FIRE UPDATE: heat and wind this afternoon created some challenges but the Maple Mtn wildfire is still contained. Precautionary evacuation alert continues on Osborne Bay Rd from Herd Rd to Tatlo Rd West. REMINDER: all trails on Maple Mtn are closed. NEXT UPDATE: 12PM SATURDAY
—@NorthCowichanNorth Cowichan-Duncan RCMP are looking for information from the public related to that fire after a man was spotted behaving erratically in the area shortly before it started.
Fire crews have also be dealing with several different fires in the mountains near Port Alberni that are suspected to be human-caused.
City of PA firefighters responded to a new wildfire at 5:00am this morning on the Canal Main across the inlet. Sproat Lake, Beaver Creek and Cherry Creek Fire each have 5 firefighters supported by 1 engine and 2 tenders working on the Beaufort Fire this morning as of 7:00am.
—@ACRDgov"I think that is the big message we need to get out to people. We need people to smarten up when they are out there in the forest," said Donna MacPherson with the Coastal Fire Centre.
The fire risk is rated as extreme on much of Vancouver Island.