Evacuation orders related to a wildfire northwest of Nanaimo, B.C., on Vancouver Island, were expanded, as blazes continued to cause poor air quality throughout B.C. on Saturday.

The Wesley Ridge wildfire on the north shore of Cameron Lake covers an area of 245 hectares, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS), and just under 200 properties are now under evacuation orders in the nearby Little Qualicum River Village.

The most recent evacuation orders were issued late Friday night due to the fire, which is burning on the north shore of Cameron Lake and is among nearly 150 wildfires burning around the province. It is suspected to have been caused by human activity.

At the nearby Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park, the campground is under an evacuation alert, according to the Environment Ministry, and the day-use areas for Cameron Lake and Beaufort along the Highway 4 corridor are closed. The latest updates on closures in the park can be found on the B.C. Parks website.

A wildfire burns a forest beside a lakeThe Wesley Ridge wildfire has not yet led to the closure of Highway 4, but drivers are being advised to use caution in the area and not stop to take pictures of the blaze. (Submitted by B.C. Wildfire Service)

“Highway 4 remains open …  but we are asking all agencies to assist us, and asking the public to assist us, in not stopping to observe this event,” Douglas Holmes, the emergency operations director for the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN), said in a news conference on Saturday. 

“If you’re travelling on Highway 4, do exactly that, keep travelling please,” he said, adding it’s important to keep the traffic flowing especially if emergency vehicles need to use the route.

The RDN has also issued an evacuation alert for 283 properties to the northeast of the lake in the Little Qualicum River Village. Officials said Saturday they had no reports of homes being lost due to the blaze.

An evacuation alert asks residents to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice, while an evacuation order means residents should leave immediately.

Christi Howes, a BCWS fire information officer, said some firefighting equipment and railway trestles had been lost in the blaze, which was burning in tough, inaccessible terrain.

“That said, workers and staff were tactically withdrawn from that area safely,” she said, adding no one was injured.

The fire’s northeast flank, which is closest to homes, is the priority for wildfire crews, who aren’t expecting significant precipitation over the long weekend, Howes said.

Orange smoke arises from a forested hill near a picturesque lake.The Wesley Ridge wildfire on the north shore of Cameron Lake is growing to the northeast, towards homes, according to officials. (B.C. Wildfire Service)Poor air quality

Meanwhile, another fire south of Lytton, B.C., has led to poor air quality, with the Cantilever Bar wildfire also prompting evacuation orders for two properties in Lytton First Nation.

That blaze covered an area of 12.62 square kilometres as of Saturday morning, though the BCWS said it did not see appreciable growth overnight.

Grey and orange smoke and flames rise above a hill.Flames and smoke rise from the north end of the Cantilever Bar wildfire south of Lytton on July 30. The blaze has prompted evacuation orders and alerts in the area. (Submitted by B.C. Wildfire Service)

Special air quality statements are in place for the Fraser Canyon and parts of the southern B.C. Interior due to the blaze.

The areas covered by the advisory include the South Thompson, 100 Mile, and Cariboo regions including Williams Lake.

Poor air quality is also forecast for the Fort Nelson region in northeast B.C. due to wildfire smoke.

The special air quality statements are being accompanied by a number of severe thunderstorm watches that cover much of the eastern half of B.C.

On Friday, the BCWS noted that thousands of lightning strikes over the preceding two days had caused the number of blazes in B.C. to double in the span of 24 hours.

Karley Desrosiers, another BCWS fire information officer, said there had been 48,000 lightning strikes in B.C. since Thursday.

“Although we do have lightning in the forecast, we’re seeing more rain accompanying the lightning,” she said on Saturday.

“[It’s] less likely to start new wildfires when rain accompanies that lightning, but always a possibility, just given the dry conditions that we’ve seen in the past week especially.”

Campers urged to stay away from Harrison Lake

The Bear Creek wildfire, detected last week, has prompted road closures near Harrison Lake in the Fraser Valley, a popular recreation spot in the Lower Mainland.

Campers are being urged to stay out of that area over the long weekend, with the Fraser Valley Regional District issuing an evacuation alert for the North Cascade Bay area.

“There is increasing hazard along the Harrison East Forest Service Road due to wildfire activity, including rockfall,” according to a BCWS update late Friday night.

“Road closures will remain in place through the long weekend and until further notice.”

Smoke arises from a hill near a picturesque lake.The Bear Creek wildfire near Harrison Lake in southwest B.C. has led to road closures in the popular recreation area. (Submitted by B.C. Wildfire Service)