Crews are fighting a forest fire about 20 kilometres from Port Renfrew near Lizard Lake that grew Wednesday from just five hectares to over 135 hectares.
“We think that number is low, but there’s so much smoke in the area they can’t really see,” said Donna MacPherson, fire-information officer with the Coastal Fire Centre.
The fire crossed the Pacific Circle Highway that connects Port Renfrew and Lake Cowichan, leading to a closing of the road.
“We closed it at two kilometres south of Lake Cowichan and at the Lizard Lake location,” MacPherson said.
The heat, the slope and the large amount of logging debris have contributed to the spread of the blaze, she said.
“It’s moving northward, up a mountain, into forested land,” MacPherson said. “There’s no structures or homes or anything.
“It’s a very active fire, it’s continuing to grow.”
