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More firefighters on the way to fight the Cameron Bluffs wildfire

Click to play video: 'Cameron Bluffs wildfire detour closed'
Cameron Bluffs wildfire detour closed
The Cameron Bluffs fire on Vancouver Island continues to grow, while the lengthy detour for the closed Highway 4 was also shut down for several hours Friday afternoon and evening. Kylie Stanton reports – Jun 9, 2023

As the Cameron Bluffs wildfire continues to burn close to Highway 4 on Vancouver Island and the highway remains closed, 20 more firefighters are on their way to help battle the blaze.

Incident commander Bryce Moreira said Friday that 60 personnel are currently on the ground, along with the incident management team. A 20-person crew is joining them after being briefed on the situation.

In addition, there are four helicopters and eight pieces of heavy equipment working on the fire.

Moreira said a trace amount of rain fell on the region Friday morning, which was able to decrease the fire activity and crews are currently focusing their efforts on the flank burning closest to Cathedral Grove.

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Meanwhile, the detour route will also be closed for a number of hours Friday.

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The B.C. Ministry of Transportation said the detour, which is via industrial forest roads, will be closed from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday.

This means there is no way to drive from Port Alberni to the west coast of Vancouver Island during this time.

The ministry said crews have to go in and tow out a vehicle to avoid serious environmental impacts on the surrounding region.

Click to play video: 'Vancouver Island traffic and supplies getting through Highway 4 detour'
Vancouver Island traffic and supplies getting through Highway 4 detour

The Cameron Bluffs wildfire is now an estimated 208 hectares in size and is believed to be human-caused.

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