Monday August 4, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC [Posted at 12:50 pm | Contact information updated August 10, 2025]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Traffic flow on Hwy 4 may be interrupted based on BC Wildfire Service needs.
See: Wesley Ridge wildfire article from August 3, 2025
The Wesley Ridge wildfire (V71145) that started July 31 near Nanaimo is now 511 hecatres in size (up from 389 hectares yesterday and 245 hectares on August 2).
The fire is still out of control, says BC Wildfire Service.
It is suspected at this time to have been ‘human caused’ (i.e. not by lightning).
BC Wildfire Service held a media update about this wildfire at 11:45 am today, Monday August 4, on this BC Day long weekend. Another update will be held tomorrow.
Fire of note:
The fire is now a ‘wildfire of note’ which highlights a fire that may be impacting multiple people in the area.
The ‘fire of note’ designation doesn’t provide more resources to the fire but makes it easier for people to find information.
People can get information online in the Response Section of the Full Details Tab (info about operations, resources, and info about the fire itself).
The Zoom call media session was hosted by fire information officer Madison Dahl along with ESS information delivered by Christina Crabtree of the Nanaimo Regional District.
Fire location and size:
The fire is situated between Nanaimo and Port Alberni on central Vancouver Island. The communities of Parksville, Qualicum Beach and Dashwood are nearby.
Updates were provided about on-the-ground actions, evacuation alerts, orders and the reception centre for those affected.
Highway 4:
Highway 4 is open but drivers are asked to keep moving, do not stop, drive to conditions. Traffic conditions for Highway 4 and Highway 19 are available on DriveBC, including any closures and delays. Crews may be working alongside the highway so drivers are to proceed with caution.
Traffic control personnel on Hwy 4 at the Port Alberni Summit for eastbound traffic and Chatsworth Rd for westbound traffic. Traffic flow may be interrupted based on BC Wildfire Service needs, says Ministry of Transportation and Transit.
Smoke:
Visibility is limited at this time due to wildfire smoke.
The south edge of the wildfire along Cameron Lake is burning in “inaccessible and challenging terrain with large amounts of accessible timber”. As such, it is going to continue to produce smoke as the fire consumes fuels along the slope.
“Smoke will continue to be visible when the wildfire smoke and winds align,” said Dahl.
24/7 action on this fire:
There are now 164 personnel dealing with this wildfire, as reported today by BC Wildfire Services. That’s up from 142 yesterday.
Tody that includes firefighters, fallers, and 80 structural protection specialists.
Night vision helicopters worked overnight.
The Coombs and Dashwood fire services are participating to work on structural protection, working in coordination with BC Wildfire Service.
As of yesterday, Incident Management Control has assumed control of the wildfire. That means Nanaimo can issue orders or alerts.
Equipment on site now includes eight pieces of heavy equipment (up from seven yesterday), seven helicopters, and some land-based air tankers.
The Regional District of Nanaimo is working in “unified command” with BC Wildfire and RCMP support is being provided.
Action on the wildfire continues 24/7 including aircraft, heavy equipment, structural protection,and BC Wildfire ground crews. Two helicopters have night-vision technology. Overnight last night ground crews deal with fire management in all wildland urban interface areas.
Protecting properties:
Today the work on this wildfire continues to prioritize the protection of residences, critical infrastructure and other key values.
As was the case yesterday, today there is still a focus on protecting properties and infrastructure in the Little Qualicum Village and park area on the north side of Cameron Lake, as well as identifying values and critical infrastructure in the vicinity of the wildfire.
Water & ground safety:
Large scale water delivery systems are being established. Heavy equipment is working to establish control lines on workable ground.
A key goal is to create a safer working environment for ground crews.
Cameron Lake, Horne Lake and Spider Lake are being used by aircraft for water delivery. “Stay clear of any aircraft there or on adjacent lakes,” says BC Wildfire Services, as any other lakes could also be used in the response effort.
Anyone on the lake should stay close to shore.
The aircraft “need plenty of room to maneouvre to do their job safely”, said Dahl in yesterday’s update, including for approach, filling and departure.
“Use common sense. Keep boats away from where tankers and aircraft are operating.” Boaters are to dock immediately if they see aircraft in the area. Interference to the aircraft means a mission would be cancelled for safety regions.
Drones are not allowed in these active areas.
Evacuation orders and alerts:
Currently there are 387 residences on evacuation order (down from 393 yesterday).
There are 235 residences on evacuation alert (down from 238 yesterday).
More information:
- Regional District of Nanaimo Current Alerts: rdn.bc.ca/current-alerts
- Emergency Operations Call Centre: 250-390-6538 (8 am to 8 pm)
- For re-entry information for evacuees, go to: rdn.bc.ca/wesleyridgewildfire
- BC Govt – Evacuee Registration and Assistance – 1-800-387-4258 Emergency Support Services | ess.gov.bc.ca
- To report a wildfire call: 1-800-663-5555 or *555 on a cellphone (download the app to send a photo with your report)
Visit the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre or ESS online:
People who have been evacuated should register at ess.gov.bc.ca or at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre at 747 Jones Street, Qualicum Beach (tel: 250-752-1992) which is presently open 24/7. So far, 411 people have registered in person or online (up from 236 yesterday) and have received support. So far, 25 people were actually staying there (as of August 3) but the number fluctuates as people are coming and going as they assess their options.
The use of this lodging is for people who don’t have other options (stay with family or friends, or contact your insurer to see what other options are available), says the Nanaimo Region Operations director.
No donations at this time:
There is no space or people to handle and manage donations, says BC Wildfire Service.
Yesterday people were asked to ‘hold off’ from dropping off donations of food, clothing and funds.
Today there was a suggestion to “look through social media” for ways to support the wildfire evacuees. “There’s a whole bunch of options where you can choose to donate or provide support and we would ask that you should go through those channels because we’re not able to accommodate,” said Crabtree in today’s media briefing.
That suggestion to head into social media for ways to support evacuees was not delivered with due caution. Hopefully most people will realize that social media options for donations opens a wide door to scammers and fraud.
Weather impacts:
Today’s high is expected to reach 25°C (higher than 24°C seen yesterday) with an relative humidity of 50% (same as yesterday). Winds are about the same as yesterday at 10 kph (with gusts to 20 kph), though today’s winds are from the west/southwest (yesterday from west/north-west with gusts up to 15 kph.
No rain is in the forecast for Tuesday though 2 to 4 mm is expected on Wednesday.
That’s still not enough. It will take substantial rainfall to make any difference in the action of this fire, acccording to BC Wildfire Service.
This is a period of drought on Vancouver Island; July was one of the driest on record.
===== RELATED:
NEWS SECTIONS: EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS | VANCOUVER ISLAND | WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT | FORESTRY