Vancouver Island wildfire shuts highway to, from Port Alberni

A wildfire burning east of Port Alberni has forced the closure of a major Vancouver Island highway.

DriveBC says Highway 4 is closed in both directions due to the Cameron Bluffs blaze, which, as of 4 p.m. Tuesday was an estimated 109 hectares.

The highway is closed at Cameron Lake, with drivers urged to “use caution and focus on the road when travelling through the area.”

The Cameron Bluffs Wildfire on Vancouver Island east of Port Alberni. (Courtesy BC Wildfire Service)

“The fire is growing quite rapidly at this point,” Port Alberni Mayor Sharie Minions told CityNews, noting the size of the fire “is much more significant than we are comfortable with.”

“The fire is right kind of along the edge of the highway and the only road in and out of the community other than logging roads and back roads.”

Minions says Highway 4 is the only major route in and out of Port Alberni is “definitely a concern” and something the city has been looking at “for a long time.” However, she admits it’s not an easy fix.

“We’re just watching, we’re keeping in touch with the community. I’m just hoping that we can support BC Wildfire in whatever way we can so they are able to get this out sooner rather than later,” she added.

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The Cameron Bluffs blaze is considered a wildfire of note and is listed as out of control.

“Crews are working on direct attack objectives, some of the fire is in steep terrain so we have three helicopters bucketing in inaccessible areas. We have air tankers and skimmers assigned, and actioning the fire as well so significant aviation resources are actioning the fire as well as ground crews,” Fire Information Officer Kimberly Kelly said.

She says the fire has a slow rate of spread, but notes that the fire growing in size “is always a possibility.”

“Most of the Coastal Fire Centre is in a moderate to high fire danger rating. We’ve seen the forest fire fuels drying out and they will continue to dry out until we see a significant amount of rainfall,” Kelly added.

The BC Wildfire Service adds that is believed to be human-caused.

No evacuation alerts or orders are currently in place because of the Cameron Bluffs fire.

Minions says the community is “certainly comfortable with a short-term closure” of Highway 4 if it helps crews get a handle on the wildfire situation.

The Cameron Bluffs Wildfire on Vancouver Island east of Port Alberni. (Courtesy BC Wildfire Service)

“This is an area where, occasionally, the road does get closed if there is an accident or a bad snow or something like that. So we’re pretty comfortable with a short-term closure and our community over the last few years has been incredibly focused on emergency preparedness and making sure we’re educating and have supplies on hand as needed. Of course, it begins to be more concerning if it’s a more extended closure,” she explained.

The Port Alberni mayor says the city and regional district are keeping a close eye on the situation.

Minions notes the fire is currently “quite far from Port Alberni.” However, she admits it is burning in a “really important area,” given the highway.

Kelly adds that anyone who spots a new wildfire is asked to report it at 1-800-663-5555.

-With files from Robyn Crawford