The Old Man Lake wildfire east of Sooke was estimated to be 169 hectares by early Wednesday evening, after being reported as 80 hectares for much of the day. It spread a blanket of smoke over the town and other parts of Greater Victoria.
“It is smokier today,” Sooke Mayor Maja Tait said. “I could taste the char in the air.”
The fire was believed to be about three hectares when it was discovered Monday afternoon, but has been fanned by wind.
The size estimate is also growing rapidly as a result of the fact the B.C. Wildfire Service has more aerial views of the scene, said Coastal Fire Centre information officer Sam Bellion. About 30 crew members from the B.C. Wildfire Service, a 10-person Capital Regional District team, helicopters and planes were fighting the blaze on Wednesday, she said.
Environment Canada meteorologist Armel Castellan said he noticed distinct smoke at Thetis Lake on Wednesday morning, but the amount varied around the region. “Oak Bay for the most part was fine, but places like Willis Point, Brentwood Bay, up near Central Saanich and over on the other side near Cobble Hill had smoke,” he said.
Smoke on the West Shore seemed to be heavier in the morning, Castellan said.
Galiano Island, Salt Spring Island, the east coast of Vancouver Island and even Vancouver also saw some smoke from the Sooke fire due to the direction of wind coming from Juan de Fuca Strait, he said.
No smoke from the Interior or the Pacific Northwest is expected to reach Vancouver Island for now, Castellan said. “The smoke that we’re seeing is definitely locally created.”
Smoke in most of Greater Victoria has been at the low end of the air-quality health index — one to three out of 10, although some areas have had higher levels.
Tait said anyone needing “a break from the haze” or to cool off can go to a comfort centre set up at the Sooke branch of the Vancouver Island Public Library.
Assistance is also available for campers displaced from the Spring Salmon Place Campground near Sooke Potholes, which was evacuated Monday, she said.
“It’s a challenging fire given the terrain and the topography,” Tait said.
An Emergency Operations Centre is in place at the Sooke firehall at 2205 Otter Point Rd. to help co-ordinate local response.
The fire is a good reminder to check on or put together a home-emergency kit, Tait said.
The Capital Regional District has closed several regional parks and trails in the area, including Sea to Sea Regional Park — where the fire has now spread — Sooke Potholes Regional Park and the Galloping Goose Regional Trail northbound at Kilometre 46, just south of the Todd Creek Trestle, at the boundary of Sea to Sea Regional Park, as well as access to Kapoor Regional Park.
Also closed are the District of Sooke’s Potholes Gateway Park and provincial parks in the area. The CRD said visitors are asked to avoid accessing the closed areas through other regional or provincial parks.
In an information bulletin issued Wednesday afternoon, the CRD noted that the wildfire is approximately five kilometres south of the Greater Victoria watershed area, but does not currently pose a risk to watershed lands or water quality.
It said B.C. Wildfire Service is not drawing water from any drinking-water reservoirs in the water-supply area to prevent contamination from aircraft filling up with water.
The CRD statement said Sooke Lake Reservoir is currently at 80% capacity, which is within the normal range for this time of year.
The Old Man Lake wildfire is the worst in the area in recent years.
Last summer, the Sooke area had a pair of wildfires around Tugwell Creek within a few weeks, but neither exceeded two hectares.
There was also an 85-hectare fire near Tugwell Creek in 2018, and a small fire on Mount Manuel Quimper in 2017 that was quickly extinguished.
