Nineteen firefighters joined the battle against the Read Island wildfire on Monday and boosted the personnel and equipment on the scene to 53 firefighters and five helicopters.

The 27 ha. lightning-caused fire northeast of Campbell River is proving difficult to contain because of a heavy tree canopy and mountainous terrain.

Skimmer aircraft were used to fight the fire on Friday and Saturday but after slowing the fire down it was decided that the heavy tree canopy was preventing enough water getting to the fire which was spreading along the ground. The fire, according to a Strathcona Emergency Program report, is a ground fire B次元官网网址渂urning rank one to two, which is basically smoking ground with a bit of open flame from knee to hip height.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淏ecause of that heavy canopy, the water wasnB次元官网网址檛 dropping down through the canopy all that well,B次元官网网址� Fire Information Officer Donna MacPherson said.

Fire crews were able to employ a hose from a water source a kilometre away from the fire. Water is pumped from the source to bladders closer to the fire that look like B次元官网网址済iant kiddie poolsB次元官网网址� and then that water is used to attack the fire.

Besides the canopy, the terrain is proving a challenge as well, located on a mountain on the east side of Read Island which as about 80 permanent residents. No buildings face any threat.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 places on the fire that people canB次元官网网址檛 get into because of the steep terrain,B次元官网网址� MacPherson said.

As of Monday afternoon, the fire was 20 per cent contained.

The fire was reported to have reached 34 ha. on Saturday but a reassessment of the situation on Sunday determined that it was actually 27 ha., MacPherson said.

RELATED:

RELATED:

editor@campbellrivermirror.com
Like us on and follow us on