Fire crews worked through Saturday night to battle the growing wildfire on Vancouver Island that has led to the evacuation of nearly 400 properties.
An update posted Sunday by the BC Wildfire Service says the fire, burning along the challenging terrain on the shore of Cameron Lake, measures about 3.89 square kilometres in size, up from the 2.45 square-kilometre estimate provided the day before.
At a news conference, fire information officer Madison Dahl said 142 personnel were responding to the fire located about 60 kilometres from the city of Nanaimo, along with seven helicopters and heavy equipment.
"Operations will continue to prioritize protection of residences, values and critical infrastructure," she said.
Dahl said fire departments from around Vancouver Island have been brought in to help and are focused on the Little Qualicum River Village and park area and the north side of Cameron Lake.
An evacuation order from the Regional District of Nanaimo covers a total of 393 mostly residential properties, including Little Qualicum Falls Park, and evacuation alerts have been issued for 238 other properties.
Douglas Holmes, the emergency operations director for the Regional District of Nanaimo, said the evacuation was complete by late Saturday.
Dahl said the fire along Cameron Lake was burning in inaccessible and challenging terrain "with large amounts of available timber."
"It is going to continue to produce smoke as the fire consumes fuels along the slope," she said.
Dahl said the region is expected to get cooler in the next few days, but added the area is in a period of drought.
She said some rain is possible for Wednesday, but a significant amount would be needed to make a difference in the fire.
The wildfire service said large-scale water delivery systems were being established and heavy equipment was working to create control lines in workable ground.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2025.
The Canadian Press
