A wildfire recently discovered on Quadra Island has grown quickly and has been labeled by the BC Wildfire Service as ‘out of control’.
It was reported on Thursday, August 17th, at around 3:30 p.m. and was initially approximately four hectares in size, just south of Maine Lake Provincial Park on the island’s east side.
The wildfire’s details were updated on Friday to only being around 1.5 hectares in size, but the fire is still not responding to suppression efforts which is why it is still labelled as out of control by the BC Wildfire Service.
Currently, three response crews are on the scene working to control the fire’s perimeter and suppress it so it doesn’t encroach too much on the provincial park it is burning near.
As of this publication, the BC Wildfire Service suspects it was caused by human activity.
Early Thursday morning, the province made a big announcement that there is growing concern for Vancouver Island and the rest of BC’s wildfire situation due to incoming strong winds and dry lightning.
Related:
There are 383 active wildfires in BC presently with 14 of those being on Vancouver Island or the Gulf Islands.
Earlier this week, a wildfire which wiped out the entire urban region of Lahaina, Hawaii saw 106 people confirmed to be dead with over 1,000 still missing.
In Canada, a wildfire that has gotten so close to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and it has caused a mass evacuation order to try to protect residents against a fate similar to that of Lahaina.
The latest BC community to be evacuated from their homes is West Kelowna, which declared a state of emergency on Thursday.
Because of the stage being set for additional wildfires in BC, the province recommends the following to stay vigilant and safe:
- Listen to evacuation orders when they are given
- Have a plan for where you could go if an evacuation did occur in your region
- If you see a wildfire, report it immediately to the BC Wildfire Service by calling 1-800-663-5555
- Take extreme care to avoid starting a wildfire
BC Wildfire Service say their crews are working diligently to protect people’s lives and property, as well as critical infrastructure.
With Meta limiting the reach of news and media outlets on their platforms due to Canada’s Bill C-18, otherwise known as the Online News Act, it can be tough to have access to all of Victoria Buzz’s news and stories.
But it doesn’t have to be! Sign up for our daily newsletter to have all the latest news delivered straight to your email’s inbox.
