Evacuation orders related to a forest fire northwest of Nanaimo, BC, on the island of Vancouver were expanded, since the fires continued to cause poor air quality throughout BC on Saturday.
The Wesley Ridge forest fire on the north coast of Lake Cameron covers an area of 245 hectares, according to the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS), and just under 200 properties are under evacuation orders in the nearby Little Qualicum River Village.
The most recent evacuation orders were issued on Friday night due to the fire, which is burning on the north coast of Lake Cameron and is between almost 150 forest fires that burn around the province.
In the nearby Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park, the camp is under an evacuation alert, according to the Ministry of Environment, and the daily use areas of Cameron Lake and Beaufort along the highway runner 4 are closed. The latest updates on closures in the park can be found on the BC Parks website.
“Highway 4 is not affected, however, we ask all the travelers who use the road to take into account the crews that work in the area, proceed with caution, remain [focused] On the way and maintain a constant traffic flow, “BCWS said in an update.
The Regional District of Nanaimo has also issued an evacuation alert for 283 properties northeast of the Lake in the Villa del Río Little Qualicum.
An evacuation alert asks residents to be ready to leave at any time, while an evacuation order means that residents must go immediately.
Poor air quality
Meanwhile, another fire south of Lytton, BC, has led to poor air quality, with the cantilever forest fire also causing evacuation orders for two properties in Lytton First Nation.
That fire covered an area of 12.62 square kilometers until Saturday morning, although the BCWS said it did not see an appreciable growth during the night.
There are special air quality statements for the Fraser Canyon and parts of the southern BC due to the fire.
The areas covered by the notice include the South Thompson, 100 miles and Cariboo regions, including Williams Lake.
The poor air quality is also forecast for the Fort Nelson region in the northeast of BC due to the smoke of forest fires.
The special air quality statements are accompanied by a series of severe electric storm watches that cover much of BC Eastern half.
On Friday, the BCW noticed that thousands of rays over the previous two days had caused the number of fires in BC to double in the period of 24 hours.
“Looking towards Saturday, the ray activity is expected to continue, with remaining temperatures of averages close to the season,” according to a BCWS update.
Campists urged them to stay away from Lake Harrison
Bear Creek’s forest fire, detected last week, has caused road closures near Harrison Lake in the Fraser Valley, a place of popular recreation in the low continent.
Campists are urged to remain out of that area during the long weekend, with the Regional District of Fraser Valley issuing an evacuation alert for the North Cascade Bay area.
“There is an increasing danger along Harrison East Forest Service Road due to forest fire activity, including rock fall,” according to a BCWS update on Friday night.
“Road closures will remain in place during the long weekend and until again notice.”
