From the end of July until the middle of August, the fast-growing Wesley Ridge wildfire forced people from their homes and darkened the sky across Vancouver Island. (Submitted photo)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

wildfire fight

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PARKSVILLE — One of the largest wildfires on Vancouver Island in recent memory forced many to flee from their homes and covered a big part of the summer sky in smoke.

Sparking shortly after midnight on July 31, weeks of hot, dry conditions and high winds allowed the Wesley Ridge wildfire north of Cameron Lake to quickly expand, from 20 hectares in the morning to over 245 hectares by the next day.

Evacuation orders and alerts were put in place north of the lake in the Little Qualicum River Falls area, with the provincial park closing as a precaution.

“Fire conditions throughout [Friday] proved challenging, requiring extensive aircraft operations to hold critical flanks,” the BC Wildfire Service said at the time. “In the late afternoon, the fire spread in the northeast corner, toward Little Qualicum River Village (Estates), exhibiting aggressive fire activity and driven by locally gusty winds.”

Smoke could be seen from across much of central Vancouver Island from the Wesley Ridge fire. (BC Wildfire Service)

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Residents were also asked to stay off certain local bodies of water, including Horne and Spider Lake, so BC Wildfire helicopters could use them to fill their buckets.

By Aug. 2, the wildfire had increased to 389 hectares in size and evacuation orders were expanded, with nearly 500 properties affected by evacuation order or alert, including some homes in rural Oceanside.

Over 75 firefighters and other resources were on site, including five helicopters, tankers and skimmers working from the air.

Strong winds and continued hot, dry conditions helped the fire continue to expand, to an estimated 494 hectares by Aug. 4, with around 400 residents in the Regional District of Nanaimo under evacuation order, and another 238 under alert.

It wasn’t until the first weekend in August when wildfire crews were aided by cooler weather, and successfully prevented the fire from expanding as rapidly.

At 538 hectares in size on Aug. 6, some rural Qualicum Beach-area residents were allowed to return home, as the fire growth began to slow and containment lines grew stronger.

“Grounds crews have been taking advantage of cooler conditions to aggressively action the Wesley Ridge wildfire,” BC Wildfire Service information officer Madison Dahl said on Aug. 6. “They’ve made excellent progress in suppressing fire activity in residential areas, and are advancing to build containment lines along the more remote parts of the northern flank.”

While no buildings or homes had reported damage yet, officials confirmed a few of the decommissioned railway trestle bridges had been damaged.

Some of the train trestle bridges in the area around Cameron Lake were badley damaged or completely destroyed. (Submitted/Trains on Vancouver Island on Facebook)

After more than ten days of firefighters working 24/7 on the fire, the Wesley Ridge wildfire was officially classified as ‘being held’ on Aug. 11, and was not expected to grow beyond it’s 588 hectare area.

Evacuation orders for 257 properties in Little Qualicum River Village were changed to alerts, with only 37 properties remaining on evacuation order at this point.

Firefighters remained on the ground, switching to a containment and mop-up stage of their efforts, while drones were also being used overnight to scan for hot spots in the blaze.

Nearly a week later, the fire was declared under control, with all evacuation orders lifted.

BC Wildfire crews remained at the Wesley Ridge wildfire well after it was declared under control, monitoring the situation and putting out any remaining hot spots. (BC Wildfire Service)

The event brought considerable community efforts to the forefront, namely the work of local, volunteer fire departments.

While multiple agencies stepped up, Dashwood Volunteer Fire Department were front and centre with a large portion of the wildfire occurring in their jurisdiction.

Chief Nick Acciavatti said flames were close enough to some properties to melt dryer vents and greenhouses, with all of their 30-member crew aiding in the firefight.

“I was expecting to see some homes that were lost, and every one of the homes that I thought would be lost had been saved. It was absolutely spectacular to see.”

While Acciavatti believes some outbuildings were lost to the fire, he said no primary structures were destroyed at any point during the fire.

He estimated two-thirds of the 300 firefighters at the peak of the operation were from local departments.

DVFD crews went full-tilt fighting the Wesley Ridge fire for nearly three weeks. (DVFD)

Just as fire crews were getting a handle on the Wesley Ridge fire, another wildfire was sparked near Port Alberni on Aug. 11, with the Mount Underwood fire quickly expanding and forcing the evacuation of a nearby campground and cutting off the community of Bamfield.

The Mount Underwood wildfire was 3,518 hectares in size at its peak, and wasn’t declared out until Dec. 8.

The BC Wildfire Service said they suspect both the Wesley Ridge and Mount Underwood wildfires to be human-caused, while the exact cause of what started the blazes remains under investigation.

Smoke billows above Port Alberni on Aug. 14, caused by the Mount Underwood wildfire south of the city. (Dashwood Volunteer Fire Department)

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