Vancouver Island wildfire rapidly grows
A new out-of-control wildfire on Vancouver Island appears to be rapidly expanding, as it grew more than six times its original size in just a day.
The Newcastle Creek fire is about five kilometres west of Sayward, on the northeastern part of the island.
An Initial Attack crew initially responded to the fire, and a 20 person unit crew is enroute as well. At this time, no critical infrastructure or homes are at risk, but the fire is visible from the community of #Sayward. This fire is suspected to be human-caused.
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— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) May 30, 2023
The fire was first discovered Monday afternoon and was about 15 hectares in size. Since then, the fire has grown to 90 hectares, according to the BC Wildfire Service.
“We did have quite a bit of gusty winds happening yesterday [Monday] and additionally, the fire is burning in flash,” said Julia Caranci with the BC Wildfire Service.
Despite its proximity to the community of Sayward, Caranci says there is not yet a need to order evacuations.
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“The growth of the fire has been parallel to the community so the fire is not moving closer to the community as of this time,” she said. “The town is being impacted by smoke. There’s quite a lot of smoke in the area today.”
Air quality advisories for numerous areas along the eastern coast of Vancouver Island have been issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Caranci says there have been 55 firefighters, along with three helicopters deployed to help battle the blaze. She says weather conditions over the coming days will determine whether or not the fire will continue to grow.
The fire is suspected to be human-caused.
