An out-of-control wildfire east of Port Alberni, B.C., shut down Highway 4, the only major route connecting the city with the rest of Vancouver Island, on Tuesday.
The Cameron Bluffs fire was first discovered on Saturday, and is burning over 1.09 square kilometres as of 5 p.m. Tuesday. It is suspected to have been caused by human activity.
It is among four "fires of note" — one that is particularly visible or poses a threat to public safety — currently burning in B.C. Another fire of note is the Donnie Creek blaze in northeast B.C., one of the largest in B.C.'s history.
DriveBC says the Cameron Bluffs fire is located between MacMillan Provincial Park and Koen Road, and no stopping is allowed on the highway in order to view the fire.
While the route was initially re-opened to single-lane alternating traffic earlier on Tuesday, it was closed outright at 3:30 p.m. due to the blaze.
The mayor of Port Alberni, a community of over 18,000 people on Vancouver Island, says Highway 4 is the only significant road in and out of the community, barring logging roads and smaller routes.
"When I went through [Tuesday] morning myself, personally, I could see the flames very close to the highway," Sharie Minions told CBC News. "It's ... just a challenging area because it is, you know, a mountain area as well."
Minions said the B.C. Wildfire Service is taking the blaze very seriously, with heavy equipment and air crews working to suppress the flames.
"There are other ways in and out of our community in order to get the supplies that are needed," she said. "We have a pretty good network of plans in place to make sure that our community doesn't run short on anything that's needed."
Minions says any Port Alberni residents should avoid travel unless it's absolutely necessary, even if the road is temporarily re-opened, so as to not impede wildfire crews.
The highway is also the major route connecting the communities of Tofino and Ucluelet to the rest of the island.
- Compare the size of the Donnie Creek wildfire to other historic blazes and major North American cities
- Federal data forecasts grim wildfire season this summer
Campfire bans coming for much of B.C.
Amid hot and dry conditions for the whole province, campfire bans are coming for much of B.C. on Thursday.
Large open fires — called Category 2 and 3 fires by the wildfire service — are already prohibited across the province.
Campfires, which come under Category 1, include all fires smaller than half a metre in size. The bans do not include the use of outdoor stoves, but do prohibit the use of fireworks, sky lanterns and tiki torches.
The campfire bans will include the entirety of the South Coast, including Vancouver Island, and the Kamloops and Cariboo Fire Centres in the Central Interior.
Bans have already been in place for many parts of the Prince George Fire Centre in northeast B.C., but will now include the entire region.
"Camping is a long-standing tradition in this province," reads a statement from the fire service. "The B.C. government recognizes that people also enjoy having campfires, so it takes any decision to implement a campfire ban very seriously."
In addition to the incoming campfire bans, the Vancouver Parks Board said Tuesday that barbecues are banned in all Vancouver parks due to high fire risk.
Evacuation order issued near Alta. border
Two new wildfires near the B.C.-Alta. border in northeast B.C., both discovered Tuesday afternoon, are now being considered wildfires of note.
One of them, the West Kiskatinaw River Wildfire, led to an evacuation order for properties in Electoral Area D. The Peace River Regional District said members of the RCMP and search-and-rescue teams would be expediting the order.
The wildfire is estimated to be burning over an area of 37.96 square kilometres, nine times the size of Stanley Park.
Source:https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/port-alberni-vancouver-island-fire-1.6867830