UPDATE: The Malahat Highway is now open in both directions.
Fire crews are battling a brush fire burning on Vancouver Island in Mill Bay near Bamberton Provincial Park.
Located east of the Malahat Highway, the fire caused the highway to close for northbound traffic at the Bamberton exit with detours on Shawnigan Lake Road for several hours.
At 9 p.m., the fire was confirmed to be about 1.4 hectares in size east of the highway and 0.8 hectares on the west side of the Malahat. Twenty-six firefighters were on scene with two officers, three helicopters, and an air tanker group.
The east fire is 90 per cent contained while the west fire is only 20 per cent contained as of 7:30 p.m.
Crews monitored the fire throughout the night and were back early Friday morning working towards full containment.
There is no word yet if any infrastructure or homes are affected.
The cause is still under investigation.