The Mount Hayes fire near Ladysmith is being held, the B.C. Wildfire Service said Sunday afternoon.
That means the blaze that has scorched 73 hectares since Thursday has received “sufficient suppression action that it is not likely to spread further under forcasted conditions.”
The stubborn fire, which has prompted a state of emergency in the area and put about 20 homes on evacuation alert, was being contained with control lines to limit its spread.
“While holding the fire is an important milestone, crews still have lots of hard, physical work ahead,” the B.C. Wildfire Service said. “Due to extremely dry conditions, this fire has burned deep into the ground.”
Officials said crews have strengthened the control lines by removing forest fuel and will be using hand tools to dig out hot spots “and wet down the earth to remove the remaining heat from the fire.”
Smoke is expected to be an issue until the fire is declared out.
The wildfire service deployed a crew of nine specialized firefighters to parachute into the fire zone Saturday. The so-called Smoke Jumpers were dispatched from home bases in Prince George and Mackenzie and have been providing support in the difficult terrain.
In total, there are 56 firefighters on the fire with three helicopters and 12 pieces of heavy equipment removing forest fuel on the control lines.
Crews were working Sunday to complete a “wet line” (a series of hoses, sprinklers and pumps) around the perimeter of the fire and mop up along established control lines.
The B.C. Wildfire Service said although the fire grew slightly from 70 to 73 hectares overnight, the majority of the blaze is behind 20-foot-wide containment lines.
The wildfire service said the fire is “demonstrating low levels of activity.”
It also said the current wind direction is blowing smoke into Ladysmith and “may cause the fire to be more visible from adjacent communities.”
The service said Sunday’s light winds are not expected to impact the progress made by fire crews.
A state of emergency remains in place as the Cowichan Valley and Nanaimo regional districts have issued a joint evacuation alert for 20 properties on Takala Road, Ivey Road, and David Road.
Cowichan Valley earlier issued evacuation orders for a liquefied natural gas plant and fish hatchery.
The Cowichan Valley Regional District said in a notice Sunday it expects continued co-operation with the public to obey all signs and barricades in the area to ensure the safety of fire crews.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
