A small two hectare wildfire was reported late Tuesday evening, with crews responding immediately. (Google Maps)

By Alex Rawnsley

overnight wildfire

UPDATE: Wildfire burning in forested area west of Nanaimo ‘being held’

Sep 11, 2024 | 9:53 AM

UPDATE — The BC Wildfire Service say a two hectare fire burning west of Nanaimo is now “being held”, indicating it is not expected to grow any larger under current conditions.

EARLIER — NANAIMO — Cooler and wetter conditions may have reduced overall fire risk, however an overnight fire start in a rural area west of the city is a reminder it’s still fire season.

Crews from the Coastal Fire Centre, along with Mosaic Forestry Management, are responding to a roughly two-hectare wildfire near Fourth Lake, around 35 kilometres west-southwest of Nanaimo.

Nick Donnelly, fire information officer with the Coastal Fire Centre, said they were made aware of the situation around 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

“The fire is in a slash block. Some initial attack crews were immediately dispatched to the scene and worked the fire overnight. We have about six initial attack crews deployed this morning and we’ll continue to work alongside Mosaic crews.”

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Around two dozen firefighters are on scene, according to Donnelly.

It’s presently listed as out of control by the BC Wildfire Service, however, crews on site are using heavy machinery to build a guard around the perimeter to prevent further spread.

Donnelly said it was “too early to say” whether crews would just let the fire burn itself out, noting establishing the guard around the scene was the top priority.

“We did have some warming, above average temperatures last week which did lead to some drying. Particularly over the weekend we were seeing danger ratings from moderate to high pretty much across the entire Coastal Fire Centre and in particular on Vancouver Island.”

Some overnight rain helped efforts, according to Donnelly, while the time of year is also a favourable condition.

“Later into the season we’re having shorter days, which helps. We’re not having those conditions that will allow for the fires to really take off throughout the day.”

While there are no structures or communities in the direct path of the fire, there are two nearby ecological properties.

The Haley Lake Ecological Reserve and the Green Mountain Wildlife Management Area are both west of the fire, but largely protected by terrain including Fourth Lake.

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