Wildfire near Ladysmith now classified as 'being held'; evacuation orders downgraded

Vancouver -

The Mt. Hayes wildfire burning near the Town of Ladysmith on Vancouver Island is now classified as "being held," according to the BC Wildfire Service.

"This designation means that (with the resources currently committed to the fire) sufficient suppression action has been taken that the fire is not likely to spread beyond its current boundaries under the forecasted conditions," the service says on its website.

"Smoke may remain visible for some time while the fire consumes unburned fuel within the perimeter."

Gordon Robinson, fire information officer for the Coastal Fire Centre, told CTV News crews would likely continue working on the fire for a while, noting that much of the blaze inside the perimeter that crews have established is burning in dry fuel underneath the forest floor.

"There's still going to be a lot of work for ground crews," Robinson said.

Firefighters were working to complete a control line around the fire on Sunday, according to earlier updates from the Cowichan Valley Regional District and the wildfire service.

The fire has not grown significantly since Friday, when it jumped from 20 to 70 hectares overnight. As of early Sunday afternoon, the fire was listed at 73 hectares on the wildfire service website.

The wildfire service says the fire is showing "low levels of activity," but the wind is blowing smoke from the fire into Ladysmith.

"The public is reminded to self-monitor for symptoms such as eye irritation, running nose, sore throat, mild cough, wheezing or headaches, which may be associated with exposure to wildfire smoke," the CVRD says in its Sunday morning update on the fire.

There are currently 56 firefighters, three helicopters and 12 pieces of heavy equipment working on the control line, according to wildfire service.

Evacuation orders for a FortisBC liquefied natural gas facility to the west of the fire and a fish hatchery to the east of it were downgraded to alerts in an update from the CVRD late Sunday afternoon.

A joint evacuation alert from the regional districts of Cowichan Valley and Nanaimo remains in place. That alert applies to 20 properties on Takala, David and Ivey roads.

Robinson said it would be up to the regional districts to decide when to end the alerts.