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
