Updated Tuesday, Aug. 20 at 4:45 p.m.
A wildfire burning east of Port Alberni is now considered under control.
Coastal Fire is on scene of a #BCwildfire which is highly visible from @cityportalberni Presently the fire is out of control but is burning uphill away from town. #albernivalley pic.twitter.com/U4ICdlulLg
— Port Alberni Fire (@portalbernifire) August 19, 2019
BC Wildfire crews have been battling a 3.1-hectare wildfire located east of Port Alberni, near Loon Lake Road off of Highway 4. The fire was burning out of control in slash.
The Port Alberni Fire Department (PAFD) posted Tuesday afternoon that, according to the Coastal Fire Centre, the fire is under control.
“This means that the fire has received sufficient suppression action to ensure there is no further spread of fire,” the PAFD noted on its Facebook page.
“Hats off to #BCWildfire and MosaicForests crews who have worked hard for this result. Crews will continue to mop up this fire which may take multiple days.”
The PAFD first reported on Twitter on Monday afternoon (Aug. 19) that the Coastal Fire Centre was on the scene of a wildfire burning just outside of town. They noted at the time that it was “burning uphill away from town.”
The fire is located outside of Port Alberni, but is visible from town.
“It’s highly visible from the city of Port Alberni, but there are no structures or infrastructure threatened at this time,” said Dorthe Jakobsen, fire information officer with the Coastal Fire Centre.
There are no evacuation alerts or orders, either.
On Tuesday morning, PAFD reported that the wildfire experienced no growth overnight and BC Wildfire crews established a machine guard on both flanks. No further growth is expected.
“We have 25 firefighters, two helicopters and five pieces of heavy equipment on scene,” added Jakobsen.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Jakobsen said it is suspected to be human-caused.
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