The Strathcona Regional District is applauding the efforts of volunteer firefighters who have been fighting a wildfire alongside B.C. Wildfire Service firefighters on Sonora Island since Thursday.
The fire was reported at 4 p.m. Thursday and on Friday afternoon measured about three hectares. The B.C. Wildfire Service had 17 firefighters on-site, along with four helicopters and one boat.
The community volunteers pitched in to fight the blaze, which is burning on the south of the island.
“We cannot speak highly enough of the residents that came together for the initial response in an organized and caring fashion to protect their community,” said Shaun Koopman, protective services co-ordinator for the Strathcona Regional District.
An evacuation alert was in place Friday for 43 properties south of Hyacinth Lake and Dorr, near Owens Bay. Residents have been told that firefighting efforts have been favourable and the winds are reducing.
While the island, located in the Discovery Islands near Campbell River, is a popular recreational area with many seasonal residences, up to 70 per cent of the properties are occupied year-round. A luxury resort on the east side of the island has not been affected and remains open.
The B.C. Wildfire Service’s online map showed four fires on Vancouver Island as of Friday evening: one near CFB Comox, one on the Island’s west coast, one on Mt. Benson Ridge near Nanaimo and the Copper Creek fire near Duncan.
A state of local emergency remains in place in the Cowichan Valley Regional District, but an evacuation order in place for the area near the fire has been rescinded. An alert remains in place for 7990 Mount Prevost Rd.
A statement from the regional district said firefighters have extinguished about 30 to 60 metres around the fire’s perimeter.
