crews prioritizing the protection of structures

As the Wesley Ridge wildfire on Vancouver Island continues to burn out of control, fire crews are now prioritizing the protection of structures and residences around Cameron Lake.

“On the northeast side of the fire, ground crews and structure protection have secured water delivery,” explained Madison Dahl, Fire Information Officer at the BC Wildfire Service.

She says that due to cooler weather conditions and night vision helicopters, the fire did not grow overnight.

The forecasted rain will also offer some relief.

“Ground crews will take advantage of the cooler conditions today to use direct attack strategies, suppressing areas of heat around residences and using water to cool the fire in all wildland urban interface areas,” Dahl added.

However, the ongoing drought conditions keep posing a challenge to the firefighting efforts.

“You can see how dry and crunchy the ground is,” said Rory Colwell, Fire Behaviour Analyst at the BC Wildfire Service.

“Some of the logs of this size that we are seeing out in the forest are showing as low as 10 or 12 per cent moisture content,” he added.

“We are getting full consumption of this, and it is causing the fuels and the fire to spread in areas and in ways that we would not normally see.”

More than 380 homes were forced to be evacuated, and around 250 are under evacuation alert.

Wildfire is believed to be human-caused

A reception centre at Qualicum Beach has been connecting evacuees to resources.

“509 evacuees have received Emergency Support Services (ESS) supports through online and in-person pathways,” said Doug Holmes, Emergency OPS Centre Director at the Regional District of Nanaimo.

“Certainly, the support workers there are amongst the most important services; the folks there can get people connected with emotional support and other types of support,” he explained.

“There’s support for people with pets, there are meals provided, and bedding and showers.”

The Wesley Ridge wildfire is believed to be human-caused.

The Highway 4 running south of Cameron Lake remains open, but officials are asking people not to stop and take photos.