The Mt. Hayes wildfire did not directly threaten many buildings, however it grew rapidly in late August courtesy record heat and drought conditions in the months and weeks prior. (submitted photo/Jakob Mayfield)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

ON FIRE

Top Stories of 2021: Crews tackle sizeable wildfire near Nanaimo Airport

Dec 24, 2021 | 12:16 PM

NANAIMO — The Coastal Fire Centre was spared the brunt of a brutal fire season in B.C., however a scorching summer and record drought still saw the region under extreme wildfire danger.

Central Vancouver Island saw two wildfires of note during the 2021 season, with the early August Holyoak Creek fire near Chemainus halted at 32 hectares before the much larger Mt. Hayes wildfire sparked nearly three weeks later.

Located a few kilometres southwest of Nanaimo Airport, the Mt. Hayes wildfire was first called in around 1 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 19.

It rapidly grew on the mountain slope to 20 hectares by Thursday evening.

“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 at the time.

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Hot, dry weather encouraged more growth overnight with crews estimating the size upwards of 70 hectares by Friday morning.

The rank two fire, defined as one with visible flames but not overly aggressive, did not directly threaten any buildings however several evacuations were issued as a precaution.

Farmers along Takala Rd. evacuated their farm animals on Thursday afternoon with the Regional District of Nanaimo issuing alerts for residents also living on Ivey Rd. and David Rd.

Local fire departments assisted local residents along Takala Rd. in protecting and evacuating from their properties during the August Mt. Hayes wildfire. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Concern was also expressed for a nearby Fortis BC natural gas holding tank with a skeleton staff remaining on scene to fight the fire if needed.

The outer perimeter moved mainly away from the site, coming within a kilometre at one point. The site surrounding the property had long been cleared of items to fuel the fire.

Nanaimo Airport also saw its operations affected during the first few days of firefighting efforts as they cleared their skies of traffic to not create obstacles for helicopters surveying and bombers fighting the fire.

Several flights were either delayed or cancelled as a result.

Crews were able to hold the line at around 70 hectares in size through the weekend as well. Around 40 firefighters worked the site at any one time during its peak burn and quickly reigned in any growth.

The Mt. Hayes wildfire sent a tall plume of smoke into the air, blowing east towards Hwy. 1 and Ladysmith. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Multiple local volunteer fire departments also leant resources to the effort.

“So far it looks like we’re going to have more favourable conditions [Saturday, Aug. 21],” Julia Caranci, fire information officer, said at the time. “The winds are lighter and we do have some overcast skies which have decreased the humidity, that will work in our favour.”

Favourable conditions extended through Sunday and into the week following with an initial estimate of 73 hectares in size later downgraded to 61.5 hectares.

Crews listed it as “being held” by Monday, Aug. 23 and successfully established a perimeter around the fire with hoses, pumps and water bladders.

Heavy equipment dug into the ground and created a buffer zone to further eliminate fuel.

The Mt. Hayes wildfire was officially listed as “under control” on Thursday, Sept. 2.

A perimeter was established quickly around the Mt. Hayes wildfire, which ultimately burnt 61.5 hectares of land southwest of Nanaimo Airport. (submitted photo/BC Wildfire Service)

Overall, the Coastal Fire Centre fared signficantly better than counterparts in the interior. Fire destroyed the community or Lytton in late June and early July, with other significant wildfires threatening multiple central interior communities.

Several Coastal Fire Centre crew members were deployed to the interior to help local firefighters.

Roughly 7,100 hectares of land was burnt in the Coastal Fire Centre by 209 fires between April 1 and Oct. 1. The ten year average is around 23,00 hectares, however data is skewed by much higher than normal activity in 2015 and 2018.

British Columbia saw upwards of 87,000 hectares on fire, making it one of the province’s worst seasons in history in terms of land charred.

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