Port Alberni wildfire rages on with no timeline to reopen crucial highway
British Columbia wildfire officials say firefighters are making some progress battling an out-of-control wildfire that has closed Highway 4, the only highway connecting western Vancouver Island with the rest of the province.
The Cameron Bluffs wildfire, located east of Port Alberni, grew to nearly one and a half square kilometres Wednesday afternoon.
The fire held its size overnight despite the B.C. Wildfire Service assigning 60 firefighters, five helicopters and several air tankers to tackle the blaze. By Thursday evening, the fire covered 1.8 square kilometres.
Crews are making "reasonable progress considering the burning conditions, leaning substantially on the aviation resources," Kimberly Kelly, a fire information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service, said during a media update Thursday.
She said firefighters have been taking advantage of the long daylight hours, noting the wildfire agency is "continuously reviewing" the resources it has dedicated to the blaze.
HIGHWAY DETOUR
Highway 4 remains closed to traffic due to damage from fire debris and concerns about slope stability in the rugged terrain next to Cameron Lake.
A four-hour detour route has been established for essential travel along backcountry logging roads between Port Alberni and Youbou, in the Cowichan Valley.
Tanker trucks have been spraying water along the detour route to reduce dust amid persistent hot and dry conditions, the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said.
The ministry is bringing in slope stability experts to assess the scene before making any decision on reopening the highway, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service.
The detour route is shown. (Province of B.C.)
MAYOR URGES CALM
The mayor of Port Alberni says she does not expect the highway to reopen for several days at least, and she is asking the province to open more forestry roads to truck in much-needed supplies to the communities west of the wildfire.
"It's not a great road," Mayor Sharie Minions said of the detour route Thursday. "It's working in a minimal way" as evidenced by "the number of accidents we had there yesterday."
The mayor is urging residents and visitors in the region to remain calm and avoid hoarding supplies like fuel and food.
Multiple gas stations in Port Alberni were closed Thursday while others saw long lineups at the fuel pumps.
"The road is expected to be closed beyond the life of the fire, and forest fires like this do not go out within a few days," Minions said.
"I think it's natural in those situations for people to panic a bit and we're certainly seeing that in our community with people filling up jerry cans of gas, buying more than they normally would at the grocery store, and just putting unfortunately unnecessary additional pressure on our resources."
Multiple gas stations in Port Alberni were closed Thursday while others saw long lineups at the fuel pumps.
The mayor said she is in discussions with the province about potentially opening logging roads around Horne Lake, northeast of the city, to commercial trucking. In the meantime, city officials have also contacted a shipping company about barging supplies into the port community, if necessary, she said.
"I am not expecting that the [highway] will be open this week," the mayor said. "We need to be planning for a worst-case scenario."
The Cameron Bluffs wildfire was first reported early Sunday morning and is believed to be human-caused. The blaze measured just 20 hectares Monday before surging to 109 hectares Tuesday, 140 hectares Wednesday and 180 hectares Thursday.
Bowinn Ma, B.C.'s Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, joined the Port Alberni mayor in asking residents to remain calm and avoid stockpiling essentials.
"I know that this is a concerning time for people who are impacted by the Highway 4 closure due to the Cameron Bluffs wildfire," Ma told reporters Thursday.
"Please know that this closure is temporary. A detour is in place but it should also only be used for emergencies. We continue to ensure that people have the essentials that they need. Trucks are making it through the detour route. There is no need to stock up on essential supplies. We're asking people to stay calm and purchase only what you need so that everyone in your communities can access the supplies that they require."
UNPRECEDENTED WILDFIRE SEASON
The fire is one of 33 B.C. wildfires considered out of control, with a total of 82 wildfires burning in the province Thursday.
B.C.'s emergency management minister says wildfires have burned more than 520,000 hectares in the province since April 1.
"Already the number of hectares burned this season exceeds the total number of hectares burned in 16 of the last 20 wildfire seasons," Ma said.
"As we move further into the wildfire season, I encourage and urge people to stay informed and to be prepared. While our government is making sure supports and resources are in place for the upcoming wildfire season, it's equally important that people start putting together a plan."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Bob Cole, veteran CBC broadcaster and former voice of 'Hockey Night in Canada,' dead at 90
Bob Cole, legendary CBC broadcaster and former voice of Hockey Night in Canada, has died. He was 90.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.