'Still a lot of hard work ahead': Evacuation alerts remain as firefighters mop up wildfire near Ladysmith

Victoria -

Some 50 firefighters continue to battle a wildfire burning near Ladysmith, B.C. on Monday.

The 73-hectare Mt. Hayes wildfire was first reported on Thursday, and was "being held" on Sunday, according to the BC Wildfire Service.

Crews finished setting up a perimeter around the fire on Sunday, and firefighters do not expect the fire to grow beyond that boundary moving forward.

On Monday, firefighters began shifting from containing the fire to putting it out at its source, according to fire information officer Gordon Robinson with the Coastal Fire Centre.

"Today they'll be working to widen out hose control lines and they'll begin digging out and hosing down places where the fire's burning underground inside the permitter," said Robinson.

"So this fire, just because of how dry it was and it was burning in an area of really heavy slash, it's gotten right down into the ground," he said. "So there's still a lot of hard work ahead for crews digging it up with hand tools and with operators using excavators."

In total, Robinson says there's 50 firefighters, two helicopters, nine water tenders and three pieces of heavy equipment still in use at the Mt. Hayes wildfire.

EVACUATION ALERTS STILL IN PLACE

Evacuation orders that were in place for a FortisBC liquefied natural gas facility and a fish hatchery were downgraded to evacuation alerts Sunday, while evacuation alerts for some nearby homes remain in place.

Robinson says that while the size of the wildfire wasn't as large as some in the Interior, its proximity to the natural gas facility and homes made it a relatively high priority.

"There'll be people working on that fire for quite a while still," he said, adding that smoke will likely remain visible from Ladysmith for days until the fire is completely extinguished.

Robinson says that the cause of the fire is still under investigation, though it's probable that it was human caused.

"We haven't had any lightning in probably months in the area," he said.

CAMPFIRE BAN IN EFFECT

The BC Wildfire Service is reminding Vancouver Island residents that a campfire ban remains in place for all of B.C.'s coast except for Haida Gwaii.

"We received a lot of reports over the weekend, and so have our partners in the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, about people having campfires in various parts of the coast," said Robinson.

"I really want to stress how dangerous that is right now," he said. "Even if it's feeling cooler and we've had some rain, the fire danger is still extreme to high in most places and a fire like this is a good example of how quickly one of these can grow."

The Mt. Hayes wildfire grew from 20 hectares Thursday to roughly 70 hectares overnight, before ultimately being contained around 73 hectares.

Robinson says conservation officers are handing out $1,150 fines immediately if they see a campfire.

"If you start a wildfire you will be held liable for the cost of fighting it, which can be significant," he said.

"it's really irresponsible to be having campfires out there and thanks to people for calling those in."