UPDATE: 9:48 p.m. Aug. 2 – The B.C. Wildfire Service has upgraded the size of the Wesley Ridge fire at Cameron Lake to 389 hectares.
The Regional District of Nanaimo released another evacuation order at 1:40 p.m. (1340 hrs) that includes Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park and a number of other addresses in addition to Little Qualicum River Village (Estates) in RDN electoral areas F, G and H.
DriveBC.ca has listed Meadowood Way as closed at Ashling Road. Keep checking the app or website for road updates. Highway 4 remains open as of 9:48 p.m. Aug. 2 but conditions could change.
A reception centre is set up for evacuees at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre (747 Jones St.). Only evacuees and emergency personnel will be permitted in the civic centre. Qualicum First Nation is also offering dry camping (no hookups) for campers displaced by the fire at the Qualicum First Nation Campground (5861 Island Highway West, Qualicum Beach).
UPDATE: 4:18 p.m. Aug 2 – The B.C. Wildfire Service has upgraded the size of the Wesley Ridge fire at Cameron Lake to 373 hectares. The fire is labeled as out of control. Several aircraft continue to action the fire as well as more than 60 ground personnel, heavy equipment and fire departments from across Vancouver Island (assisting with structure defence).
Skimmers are using Horne Lake to action the Wesley Ridge fire, and B.C. Wildfire Service is cautioning people to stay close to shore. People using watercraft should move quickly out of the way of the skimmer aicraft to give them the space they need to operate safely. Other aircraft are using Spider Lake as a water source and the same warning has been issued for recreational users of that lake as well.
Boaters and swimmers are asked to stay off Cameron Lake.
Highway 4 is still open, however drivers are asked to not stop if they are driving past Cameron Lake. All pullouts and rest areas have been closed. Monitor www.DriveBC.ca for road conditions.
Original story follows below:
The fire on Wesley Ridge by Cameron Lake is now estimated at 245 hectares after some "aggressive" fire action, the B.C. Wildfire Service is reporting.
"Fire conditions throughout yesterday (Friday, Aug. 1) proved challenging, requiring extensive aircraft operations to hold critical flanks," an update from the Coastal Fire Centre notes.
"In the late afternoon, the fire spread in the northeast corner, toward Little Qualicum River Village (Estates), exhibiting aggressive fire activity and driven by locally gusty winds. Crews, heavy equipment and aviation resources continued their tactical operations overnight."
Crews and resources are operating 24 hours a day on this fire, including night operations with a Coulson Aviation Sikorsky S-61 helicopter equipped with Night Vision Goggle (NVG) capability. Numerous fire departments from around Vancouver Island are contributing to BCWS Structure Defense task forces, focusing on homes, businesses and other structures threatened by this fire.
Dashwood and Coombs-Hilliers fire departments and others on Friday completed "structure triage" in Little Qualicum Village and talked to residents about the fire.
The fire is now estimated to be 245 hectares but poor visibility due to smoke has hampered efforts to establish an exact perimeter, a BCWS spokesperson noted.
The Regional DIstrict of Nanaimo has issued evacuation orders and alerts for the region. These can be found on the BCWS wildfire map.
Resources:
B.C. Wildfire updates: www.bcwildfire.ca
DriveBC: https://www.drivebc.ca/
Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN): https://rdn.bc.ca/current-alerts
For preparedness tips: www.preparedBC.ca
