A wildfire on Vancouver Island that was believed to be caused by humans has now grown to 160 hectares and remains out of control, despite the BC Wildfire Service’s best efforts.
Currently, there are no evacuation orders in place for the people living in and around Sayward, although the edge of the wildfire is only 5.6 kilometres from the edge of town, as the crow flies.
The fire is regarded as an ‘out of control’ wildfire as of May 31st. This means the wildfire that is continuing to spread and is not responding to suppression efforts.
There are currently 60 firefighters, four helicopters and water tenders assigned to this fire, according to the BC Wildfire Service.
The fire was reported in the afternoon of May 29th and since firefighters have been trying to suppress the blaze, they’ve determined its burn path is parallel to the community of Sayward so there is no need to evacuate; however, the community and surrounding area are being affected by smoke.
“Crews supported by helicopters will continue to action the fire on accessible flanks with the help of natural barriers,” says the BC Wildfire Service. “Cooler temperatures and higher humidity are expected today and crews will take advantage of these conditions.”
Firefighters current, priority objective is to stop the fire from growing beyond its perimeter.
This wildfire is Vancouver Island’s only fire at present, while BC as a whole 57 active wildfires.
