Evacuation alert posted for Cowichan Valley property as firefighters battle wildfire on Vancouver Island

Victoria -

The Cowichan Valley Regional District has posted one property under an evacuation alert as firefighters try to contain a wildfire near Holyoak Creek, north of Duncan, on Friday morning.

The fire was first reported Thursday evening, according to the Coastal Fire Centre. Since then, the fire's grown from five hectares on Thursday night to seven hectares as of Friday morning.

"We had some winds on the fire last night and crews had to back off," said fire information officer Dorthe Jakobsen.

"It was quite vigorous early in the morning there. But the winds have calmed and the fire has calmed," she said.

Fourteen firefighters, two water tenders, two helicopters and one fire officer have been deployed to the scene.

The BC Wildfire Service says that the flames are burning upslope, "driven by winds in the area in timber and slash."

At 11 a.m. Friday, the Cowichan Valley Regional District posted an evacuation alert for a lone property at 7990 Mount Prevost Rd.

The evacuation alert means that residents should be prepared to relocate if an evacuation order is issued.

"Residents will be given as much advance notice as possible prior to evacuation; however you may receive limited notice due to changing conditions," reads the notice.

The regional district says that the evacuation route for this incident is to head south on Mount Provost Road onto Somenos Road if necessary.

A full list of tips on what to pack and prepare for a possible evacuation can be found on the Cowichan Valley Regional District website here.

The regional district says it will provide another update at 7 p.m. Friday.

While the regional district implemented a fire alert, the BC Wildfire Service said that no structures were being threatened as of Friday afternoon.

It's currently unknown what caused the fire, or if there is any connection to the Chemainus River wildfire which is burning roughly a kilometre away but was considered under control by Thursday.

The Holyoak Creek wildfire is not considered contained as of mid-Friday.