NANAIMO — Provincial wildfire response teams are on scene of a new fire start along Cameron Lake.
Flames were spotted before 6 a.m. on Thursday, July 31 along the northern shoreline and bank of the lake, midway between Parksville and Port Alberni.
Early assessment from the Coastal Fire Centre has the fire approximately one hectare in size and is classified as burning out of control.
Further updates are expected throughout the day as more crews arrive on scene.
As of Thursday morning, it was the only fire burning out of control on Vancouver Island, with five other locations listed as either being held or under control.
This includes a pair of fires along the Nanaimo River.
At this stage, there are not expected to be substantial traffic impacts for travellers along Hwy. 4, as the fire is burning on the opposite side of the lake to the highway.
A fire along the Cameron Bluffs, above the highway, in June 2023 resulted in Hwy. 4 being closed either partially or completely for months and a detour being established through Lake Cowichan to allow access to Port Alberni, Tofino and Ucluelet.
The situation resulted in roughly $15 million in economic losses for Port Alberni alone, with more also suffered on the Island’s west coast.
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