More than 400 out of homes as wildfire continues to burn on Vancouver Island

A helicopter refills a bucket of water near Cameron Lake off Highway 4 where the Wesley Ridge wildfire continues to burn near Coombs, B.C., on Sunday, August 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

The BC Wildfire Service says a blaze burning out of control on Vancouver Island had “limited growth” overnight, but it’s still unknown when the more than 400 people forced to evacuate will be able to return home.

The Wesley Ridge wildfire on Cameron Lake between Port Alberni and Parksville was estimated at 511 hectares in size as of late Monday morning.

The around-the-clock firefighting effort continues, with 164 personnel assigned to the task, including more than 80 structure protection specialists. Night-vision helicopters dropped buckets on the fire’s perimeter overnight. There are eight helicopters and eight pieces of heavy equipment working on the blaze.

Firefighters have secured water delivery and are supressing hot spots near homes, BCWS information officer Madison Dahl said in an update Monday.

“The leading edge of the fire has not reached any of the community. There are spot fires within the community, and they are being quickly and efficiently actioned by crews on the ground,” she said.

“The wildfire perimeter is within the community, but that does not mean that it is it is raging or it is on fire.”

Officials with the Regional District of Nanaimo said they aren’t aware of any structure loss or damage from the fire.

The BCWS said the current goal is to stop the fire from spreading toward Highway 4 and keep the road open and safe for travel.

Related: Full coverage of B.C.’s 2025 wildfire season

The wildfire is burning in steep and inaccessible terrain with lots of trees available to burn, so it will continue to create smoky conditions, Dahl said.

Environment and Climate Change Canda warned smoke is expected to cause poor air quality in the Nanaimo and eastern Vancouver Island area, including Nanoose Bay, Parksville, Coombs and Qualicum Beach.

The next rain in the forecast comes Wednesday, when two-to-four millimetres are expected, but BCWS says much more precipitation is needed to make a significant difference on the firefighting front.

According to the Nanaimo Regional District, there are currently 387 residences on evacuation order and 235 on alert. As of Monday morning, 411 evacuees had registered with emergency support services.

The Wesley Ridge fire is currently the only “wildfire of note” in the province, a designation used when a blaze is impacting a large number of people so information is easier to access on the BC Wildfire website.