Aerial resources were dropping regular loads of water and fire retardant on the Mt. Hayes fire, southwest of Nanaimo Airport (submitted photo/Jakob Mayfield)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

FIRE SEASON

Mt. Hayes wildfire, southwest of Nanaimo airport, grows to 20 hectares

Aug 19, 2021 | 2:40 PM

NANAIMO — A wildfire which sparked early Thursday afternoon has grown considerably.

The Mt. Hayes fire, burning approximately 2.5 kilometres off of Hwy. 1, southwest of Nanaimo airport, grew rapidly after it was first reported around 1 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 19. As of 7:30 p.m. it stands at 20 hectares in size.

“That’s largely due to the dry conditions in the forest this summer and some heavy, gusty winds they experienced on site through the afternoon,” Gordon Robinson, Coastal Fire Centre information officer, told NanaimoNewsNOW.

A thick plume of smoke remains visible across the mid-Island from the site, with smoke drifting to the south east. Robinson said the fire is considered a rank 2-3 fire, which means “the fire is not smouldering on the ground, it’s actively burning on the surface maybe in places starting to make its way up into the trees.”

An initial attack crew of 10 Coastal Fire Centre officers, four helicopters, two water tenders and air tankers remain on scene with air efforts set to continue until night fall. Aircraft were seen dropping regular loads of water and fire retardant throughout the afternoon.

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Ground crews will remain on scene throughout the night and have been augmented by an additional eight person attack crew and firefighters from multiple volunteer fire departments. Additional resources are expected on site by Friday morning.

Crews from North Cedar and Cranberry volunteer fire department worked with houses on Takala Dr. late Thursday afternoon, sprinkling roofs and dousing grass in a bid to prevent the fire from spreading. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

The Cowichan Valley Regional District has not issued any evacuation orders, however several property owners adjacent to the fire evacuated farm animals as a precaution on Thursday afternoon. Multiple volunteer fire departments were assisting properties nearby on Takala Dr. wet their properties and roofs in a bid to stop any stray sparks from igniting.

Robinson said the fire is not threatening any homes or other buildings, however a nearby piece of Fortis BC natural gas infrastructure is of a minor concern.

“The fire has been moving in a generally westward direction. It is still 1.5-2 kilometres away from that Fortis infrastructure, we have crews in the area and are ready to defend that site.”

No cause for the fire has been determined yet.

Despite a higher-than-normal year for fire starts in the Coastal Fire Centre, the number of hectares burning is down significantly.

The only other fire currently listed on the mid-Island is the on-going Copper Creek fire, which crews have under control and have held at 32 hectares since it sparked Friday, Aug. 6.

Properties on Takala Rd. began to evacuate their farm animals on Thursday afternoon out of an abundance of caution, with the nearby Mt. Hayes wildfire continuing to grow. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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