Highway 4 on Vancouver Island remains closed as Cameron Bluffs wildfire burns

Highway 4 on Vancouver Island remains shut down Thursday as the Cameron Bluffs wildfire continues to burn close to the road.

The highway is closed between Cameron Lake and Port Alberni until further notice.

According to the BC Wildfire Service, crews are making reasonable progress on the fire considering the burning conditions and are leaning substantially on aviation resources.

Crews are keeping the fire within the containment area, the service said, and are working on the back side of the fire and on the roadside.

It is now estimated to be 180 hectares in size.

There are no evacuation alerts or orders in place at this time due to this fire.

0:29 Out-of-control fire near Port Alberni shutters lane of traffic

A detour is available at this time but officials said it should only be used in emergency situations.

The detour routes traffic from Port Alberni through to Lake Cowichan via Bamfield using forest-service roads. The gravel detour route has narrow sections, sharp curves, single-lane bridges and challenging terrain. There is no cell service, gas station or washroom facilities on the detour route, according to the province.

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Regular passenger vehicles, such as cars, vans and commercial vehicles weighing less than 63,500 kilograms, can travel through the detour corridor but no over-height or over-weight vehicles will be permitted.

The detour route extends travel by four hours and includes difficult driving conditions, drivers are warned.

2:11 Growing concerns about increasing fire risk in B.C.

Richard Walker drove the detour route Thursday, saying he didn’t see any accidents or anyone driving erratically.

“The Bamfield Road was pretty rough, a lot of washboarding,” he said. “Other than that, coming from Bamfield Road to (Youbou), it’s not bad, not bad at all.

“Signage is great.”

Meanwhile, Port Alberni remains on edge as residents deal with the closure.

“It’s been a lot, the last couple of days, for sure,” Sharie Minions, Mayor of Port Alberni, said. “That being said, we are making it work and there’s been a little bit of natural panic as happens when you don’t know what the situation is.”

“We don’t know if this is going to be a road closure for a day or two, or a couple of weeks.”

1:50 Drivers navigate the Vancouver Island detour as Highway 4 remains closed

She said they have seen residents buying gasoline in jerry cans and buying lots of groceries and she said they want to ask people to stop doing that as supply chains are still running as normal.

It is unclear when the road will reopen but Minions said the community will continue to pull together.

“We will take the situation as it comes and if this is long-term, we will be fine. It will be an inconvenience for sure but we will do our best to make sure it is just that, an inconvenience and nothing more.”