A forest fire west of Sayward was still burning out of control on Wednesday, but hasn’t been growing since it went from 15 to 90 hectares overnight Monday, says the Coastal Fire Centre.
Smoke from the 90-hectare wildfire eased up in the community of Sayward when the wind shifted after a smoky start to the day, said Mayor Mark Baker. “A lot of the smoke has been moved to the west of us.”
The number of firefighters battling the blaze, about 5.6 kilometres west of Sayward, grew from 55 on Tuesday to 60 by Wednesday. The fire, the largest so far on Vancouver Island this fire season, is believed to be human-caused.
Baker said firefighters hope to have the fire contained in the next couple of days. “Fortunately for us, there’s no structures, no residential property that’s in jeopardy at this point, no critical infrastructure.”
He said the fire had been creeping closer to the one road out of town, but that is no longer the case.
Sayward is home to about 350 people, while the Sayward Valley has another 600 to 900, said Baker, adding having a fire this close to the village is unusual.
Coastal Fire Centre information officer Julia Caranci said an evacuation alert for Sayward is still deemed unnecessary. “The fire is still burning in a direction that is parallel to the community, so it’s not burning toward it,” she said.
Caranci said the fire started in slash — material left over from logging — and was initially fanned by wind. It has since reached timber, where fire activity is lower because available fuel can be higher up and moist, she said.
Four helicopters are dropping buckets of water as needed to support ground crews.
Cooler temperatures and higher humidity on Wednesday were helping the suppression effort, she said.
About 75 kilometres away in Campbell River, the city is telling residents to be ready for smoke, and reminding them to be cautious outdoors since the area’s fire-danger rating is high.
With little to no rain in the forecast and active fires burning in the area, a total fire ban is likely soon, said Campbell River Fire Chief Dan Verdun. “We will continue to closely monitor the situation.”
Verdun said according to the B.C. Wildfire Service, 85% of wildfires this year have been human-caused, adding human-caused wildfires are “entirely preventable.”
“Properly disposing of smoking materials, and making sure campfires are completely extinguished and cool to the touch before leaving the area are two of the most important ways you can prevent a serious wildfire.”
Always check local and provincial fire restrictions before lighting any fire, the city said.
In 1938, the Sayward area was hit by what the provincial government refers to as the Great Fire, which burned for close to 30 days and destroyed around 35,000 hectares of forest.
That fire heralded a turning point in reforestation in the province, which until then relied largely on natural regeneration rather than planting programs.
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