Residents of Little Qualicum River Village on Vancouver Island are evacuating as an out-of-control wildfire threatens their homes.
The Regional District of Nanaimo has expanded an evacuation order for the Wesley Ridge fire to include Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park and the north side of Cameron Lake.
Local Jack Mitchell says his rural neighbourhood is now filled with emergency vehicles.
“I’ve grown up in this area, I’ve been here my whole life….and to see our neighbours in shambles, packing up and all warning each other, it’s surreal really.”
Mitchell says his family had been preparing to evacuate since Thursday before an evacuation order was issued Friday.
“The police were gracious enough to make a special effort for us because we have a three-month-old child,” he said. “They give us 10 minutes to get everything we could.”
Mitchell says they had to move an RV and a boat off the property and pack up their truck with important items. He says it is a real possibility that his home could go up in flames.
“We won’t be returning to the house at this point. We’ll see what happens.”
The fire is suspected to be human-caused, according to the BC Wildfire Service, with winds causing the blaze to become more aggressive.
In an update, the BC Wildfire Service said crews, heavy equipment, and aviation resources continued to work overnight.
“Numerous fire departments from across Vancouver Island are contributing to structure defence task forces focused on urban-interface values protection in the area where needed,” it said.
As of Saturday afternoon, the fire had grown to almost 400 hectares.
