148 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

Every year most BC fires get no attention. If they are not interfacing we just let them burn. Not sure this year is so different.

[Matt R.]

Growing up here, we never had wildfire smoke as a kid. It wasn’t a thing.

[Mike K.]

Yes it was. We just didn't talk about it, because it wasn't the end of the world.

[Mike K.]

We also have to consider that record numbers of people are recreating in the wilderness, and record numbers of people are doing stupid things in the wilderness. That leads to more risk.

[Matt R.]

Yes it was. We just didn't talk about it, because it wasn't the end of the world.

Maybe in Vic west lol. I never saw orange skies from forest fire smoke in Gordon head.

[Blair M.]

The E&N Cameron Lake run to Port Alberni is just on the other side of Cameron Lake from the location of the fire.

 

Like all of the E&N though, shut down as not being of any value (except perhaps as a potential detour?).

[LJ]

Just the stretch along the lake.

Remember, we are so backwards, that we don’t have detours. One small section of road becomes impassable, and it’s over. Sorry Tofino, the road is closed 150km away, and you can’t get supplies.

 

Well they are on the ocean, a barge full of supplies could be taken up, coast guard could deliver goods as well.

[Victoria Watcher]

Laurie Gehrke, general manager of the Ucluelet Co-op, said the grocery store received a standard 35,000-pound delivery of dry goods Thursday evening and she was expecting a dairy delivery Friday evening and produce today.

 

Deliveries are continuing to come in but they are delayed by about six hours because of the lengthy detour, she said.

 

“Things are stocked OK, except for produce and dairy. They’re pretty bare,” she said.

 

The store is limiting customers to purchasing no more than two of any item for the time being, Gehrke said. The restrictions will be lifted as soon as the delivery schedule returns to normal.

Gehrke said the first couple of days of the highway closure were busy in the store, with some customers panic buying, but things have calmed down.

 

“I want people to know not to panic. We have lots of food. We have lots of availability. Just please shop like you normally would. Don’t overbuy,” she said.

 

 

https://www.timescol...ntinues-7126322

[Victoria Watcher]

Travellers hoping to find the Horne Lake Connector open as a route around the Cameron Bluff fire Friday were instead met with signs telling them the road was closed.

 

Mosaic Forest Management, which has been criticized online for gating off the road, says the gravel logging road is closed to the public and that the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure specifically chose the Cowichan detour route instead.

 

“Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure reviewed multiple options with Mosaic, including the Horne Lake route, and they selected the Cowichan route for public access as the safest alternative to Highway 4,” Mosaic said in a statement to CHEK News. “They have assumed responsibility for traffic and safety on the Cowichan route. We are working closely with MOTI to support emergency evacuation routes and alternatives to Highway 4 and taking their lead as the government authority.”

 

“It really has a single lane the entire way, it requires a pilot car the entire way. Certain vehicles can’t get through there, smaller like passenger vehicles. It does require 4×4. It can not accommodate a full-size legal load, so some significant limitations to the Horne Lake Connector that really don’t make it a great choice,” said Janelle Staite, MOTI Deputy Director for the South Coast Region.

 

Another route that CHEK viewers have been emailing about is between the Comox Valley and Port Alberni, using Comox Lake Road. It connects with Ash Main and Beaver Creek Road, but it too is closed by Mosaic because of active logging.

 

But that didn’t stop travellers showing up there, many of them telling CHEK News they followed the map on their phone indicating the route was open.

 

 

https://www.cheknews...safety-1155811/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 10 June 2023 - 05:22 AM.

[Mike K.]

They need to mention Mosaic maintains an active list of gate status’. They lock people out now, because of vandalism, hooliganism and dumping. The Cowichan route is only open because of the communities that need access.

[Blair M.]

The kind of stuff falling down the bluffs onto the road as a result of the fire:

 

 

 

Attached Images

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[Victoria Watcher]

^ Indeed that might be tough to get around.  Might need a motorcycle.

[Mike K.]

Growing population, sketchy, winding two-lane highways with no detours.

What could go wrong?

[Blair M.]

Once the fire is out, reports are that it will take days longer to survey all of the bluffs for the tree, dirt and rock debris that didn't quite make it all the way down to the road, but is essentially hanging on by a thread just waiting to continue the trip it started - down onto the roof of some passing vehicle.

[lanforod]

I’m very thankful this didn’t wipe out Cathedral grove.

[Kilo95]

There's a picture on Twitter that claims to show one of the lanes of traffic has been wiped out into the lake.. hard to tell because it's an aerial shot (or might not even be Cameron Lake).. but if so, that'll take a while to fix. 

[Mike K.]

Watch as this gets blamed on climate change, instead of a careless camper, and aging, inadequate infrastructure.

[Victoria Watcher]

Savannah Kreutziger and fiancé Jesse Lee are supposed to be married on the beach in front of 40 people in Tofino’s Cox Bay on Saturday.

 

Rooms are already arranged at the Hotel Zed Tofino.

 

But with the out-of-control Cameron Bluffs wildfire continuing to keep Highway 4 to Port Alberni, Ucluelet and Tofino closed, there’s a good chance the wedding won’t go ahead.

 

That’s disappointing, but it’s safety that matters most to the 28-year-old former Nanaimo resident, who has been planning the wedding from her home in Prince George, and says she used to spend “almost every summer” in Tofino.

 

While there is a four-hour detour route on gravel roads via Lake Cowichan, Kreutziger is concerned about guests — especially older relatives — taking it and potentially running into problems.

 

She is also wary of the fire getting worse.

 

“My wedding is not a priority over people in Tofino,” she said Monday. “Why should I be going and doing my wedding if there’s people struggling there?”

 

She is prepared for the wedding to be cancelled or perhaps moved to a new location, depending on what happens this week. “I’m still waiting to hear back from a couple of my vendors,” she said.

 

 

 

 

https://www.timescol...ntinues-7135053

 

 

 

 

 

I hereby declare Savannah Kreutziger a very good person.      

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 13 June 2023 - 03:35 AM.

[Mike K.]

The highway will remain closed until June 24th:

Highway 4 is expected to open to limited travel as early as the weekend of June 24-25, 2023, after a wildfire closed the route on June 6.

Safety for people driving the highway is the top priority. The roadway will reopen only when it is safe for drivers.

Assessment of dangerous trees and slope stability is ongoing with work underway to eventually allow traffic to safely traverse the affected section along Highway 4 at Cameron Lake Bluffs.

Crews continue to clear debris and remove unsafe trees to ensure a safe work environment for further repairs, and the installation of protective measures for the travelling public. A temporary load-bearing wall will be constructed in the eastbound lane of Highway 4 as a safeguard against potential falling debris that could result from an unstable slope. Protective mesh suspended by cranes will act as a barrier to falling rock and trees as the area continues to recover from fire damage.

The phased reopening will initially operate with single-lane-alternating-traffic to support safety measures put in place while the slope continues to recover from the effects of wildfire.

The ministry urges drivers to use patience since traffic queues are expected to be extensive during this time. The ministry will continue to monitor the state of recovery before moving toward a full reopening expected in mid-July. Until the highway is fully open, the detour will remain available.

The highway has been closed to keep travellers safe and support crews fighting the Cameron Lake Bluffs wildfire.

The daily scheduled convoys for commercial vehicles carrying essential goods and services continue.

[Blair M.]

Although the fire itself obviously affected the slope, the majority of the debris and instability is actually caused by the up to 2600 gallons per load that the helicopters drop, times the many loads per day over many days that get dumped on the slope.