Vancouver Island wildfire surges in size, forces rolling highway closures
CTV
An out-of-control wildfire on Vancouver Island surged in size Tuesday, covering more than a square kilometre and forcing intermittent closures of the only highway to Port Alberni, Tofino and Ucluelet.
An out-of-control wildfire on Vancouver Island surged in size Tuesday, covering more than a square kilometre and forcing intermittent closures of the only highway to Port Alberni, Tofino and Ucluelet.
The wildfire near Cameron Lake, approximately 20 kilometres east of Port Alberni, reached Highway 4 on Tuesday morning, prompting the B.C. Ministry of Transportation to temporarily close a seven-kilometre stretch of the highway just south of the lake.
The highway was reopened to single-lane alternating traffic before noon, and the ministry issued a warning to drivers to avoid stopping in the area.
The highway was again closed in both directions before 4 p.m., with rolling closures and partial reopenings expected to last through the evening.
Port Alberni Mayor Sharie Minions says the ongoing closures along Highway 4 – the only major vehicle route in and out of the community – is a grave concern among residents.
"We've all seen situations like this escalate in other parts of the province over the last few years with some of the really significant and severe forest fires," Minions told CTV News.
"We have to be able to truck in goods, we have to keep our families safe, obviously, as we navigate through this."
