Smoke from Wesley Ridge fire on Vancouver Island could last for months

BC Wildfire Service said an out-of-control wildfire burning on Vancouver Island near Cameron Lake could generate smoke for the "coming weeks, and potentially the coming months." 

The warning appears in a video that BCWS posted to its Facebook page Sunday as part of a larger update on the Wesley Ridge wildfire.

"The public will be seeing smoke at the height of land here on Wesley Ridge for the coming weeks, and potentially, the coming months," said operations sections chief Beau Michaud while seen standing on a temporary helicopter landing pad fashioned out of logs. 

But Michaud added that he does not expect the fire to impact Highway 4 connecting communities along the western shore of Vancouver Island with communities on the eastern shore.

Arlen Kanary, operations branch director, also shared more general insights into the fire first discovered July 31. 

Kanary said this fire has presented crews with "lots of challenges" when it comes to access. 

"There are some extreme slopes, some challenging terrain, that have really limited our ability to fight this fire," Kanary said. He added that crews using heavy equipment have opened up old and existing logging roads and built temporary helicopter landing pads to improve access. 

But Kanary said the terrain does not always allow crews to bring in heavy equipment to help contain the fire itself. "So we have to use hand tools and chainsaw to create a fire line," he said. 

Another challenge comes from the current drought conditions, he said. 

"There is no water on this mountain side," he said. "We have had to do a lot of moving of water with water tenders and aviation resources." 

Kanary said BCWS will keep crews on site for the "foreseeable future" until full containment. 

Madison Dahl, fire information officer with the wildfire service, said Sunday the fire grew to 5.9 square kilometres from 5.8 square kilometres on Saturday. She added that the fire grew in remote area, but expects rising temperatures to cause more smoke and impact fire behaviour. 

Dahl also added that officials continue to investigate the cause of fire currently suspected to be human-caused. 

The Regional District of Nanaimo, meanwhile, continues to work on a plan to lift most but not all evacuation orders to allow residents to return on Aug. 11. 

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito