Travel along the gravel detour route between Port Alberni and Lake Cowichan took roughly 2.5 hours on Thursday morning. The route will be closed Friday, June 9 from 1 p.m. until 9 p.m. as crews remove a wrecked vehicle. (submitted photo)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

cut off

Hwy. 4 detour temporarily cut-off as battle against Cameron Bluffs wildfire continues

Jun 9, 2023 | 12:09 PM

NANAIMO — The Cameron Bluffs fire east of Port Alberni is making life more difficult on motorists dependant on travelling to and from western Vancouver Island.

An update from the Coastal Fire Centre Friday morning saw the Cameron Bluffs fire increase in size slightly overnight Thursday and now sits at 208 hectares as of Friday morning.

The increase was mostly on the southern flank in the mountains area, away from Hwy. 4. They reported decreased fire activity overall, with a bit of open flame and smouldering ground fire.

Ground crews also did a small hand ignition on the southern flank Thursday evening, to ensure they have a safe area to work.

Crews are focusing on the west flank of the fire, which is closest to Cathedral Grove within MacMillan Provincial Park.

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There are approximately 60 fire crews on site, including four helicopters, eight pieces of heavy equipment, and two unit crews. An additional 20 crewmen are being prepped and will be on the ground sometime Friday afternoon.

Brief overnight showers in the area and cooler weather were welcome, but with warmer weather in the forecast, crews are expended to be on the ground for several days at least.

There are still no evacuation orders in place for any residents in the region.

The Hwy. 4 detour will be closed to all vehicles on Friday, June 9, from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. to remove a large truck that rolled into Francis Lake along the detour, according to the ministry of transportation and infrastructure (MOTI).

Travellers are asked to avoid travel along this route before and after the closure as commercial trucks will be lined up to get through.

The province noted the detoured route would open prior to the projected 9 p.m. re-opening if the truck’s extraction is completed early.

The province is asking drivers only use the detour, comprised of forest service and privately owned industrial roads, for essential purposes only.

Motorists should only travel during daylight hours and obey on-site traffic personnel.

Those who use the route are advised to have their vehicles full of fuel prior to embarking and have extra supplies including food and water on board.

Information checkpoints have been set up along the detour to help travellers.

A full map of the checkpoints is available here at www.tranbc.ca/current-travel-advisories.

For the most up-to-date information about driving conditions, go to www.DriveBC.ca.

NanaimoNewsNOW is awaiting a response from MOTI for an update on the current condition and projected re-opening of Hwy. 4 at Cameron Lake.

A stretch of highway near the expanding Cameron Bluffs fire has been closed since the afternoon of Tuesday, June 6 when fallen trees and rocks hit the highway.

Highway 4 is the only paved link between the east side of Vancouver Island and the west, severely impacting the communities of Port Alberni, Ucluelet and Tofino.

Discovered this past weekend, the suspected human-caused wildfire east of Cathedral Grove on mountainous terrain quickly grew early in the week in part due to heavy wind.

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