UPDATE:
Ladysmith officials say crews have managed to contain the fire near the Nanaimo Airport, and evacuees have been allowed to return home although they’re still on alert.
They say although the fire is considered contained for now, it is still an active fire, and crews continue to fight it.
The Ladysmith Emergency Operations Centre remains activated and working to support the firefighting crews.
And, Cedar Road is now re-opened between Hill Road and Homestead Way.
Sunshine Coast Regional District officials were planning to give an update on the Sechelt fire at 10am.
PREVIOUS UPDATE: Crews are still at work on the two wildfires in the Island Coastal region.
Fire Information Officer Marg Drysdale says Coastal Fire Centre crews are in a support role on the fire near the Nanaimo Airport, and will be there again today.
Ladysmith officials say the fire containment held during the night. They add evacuees are allowed to return home but are still on alert in case the fire gets going again.
ORIGINAL STORY: The Town of Ladysmith is reopening the Emergency Social Services Centre set up to help evacuees from the wildfire in the Cedar/Cassidy area at 6am Friday morning.
At its biggest Thursday the fire was at 20 hectares, according to the North Oyster Fire Department. Crews from the North Oyster, Ladysmith, Cedar and Cranberry departments have been fighting the blaze with back-up from the Wildfire Management Branch.
As of midnight Thursday they had it contained.
Investigators say it was started by hay cutting.
The fire broke out around the same time as a fire that’s now grown to 8 hectares on the Sunshine Coast… Donna MacPherson of the Coastal Fire Centre says with the hot, dry weather and extreme danger risk they’d been bracing for multiple fire starts.
Cedar Road remains closed between the Chuckwagon and Hill Road, and an evacuation order remains in place for several homes in the area.
Ladysmith officials say that although the Emergency Social Services Centre had a few calls, nobody actually needed to spend the night.
The Centre is at Frank Jameson Community Centre.
You can reach it at 250-245-6417.
Updates will be posted as they are available on the Town website at www.ladysmith.ca and on the Town’s Facebook page www.Facebook.com/LadysmithBC
