Wildfire near Zeballos only 5% contained but is not moving toward village

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A helicopter drops water on the Gold Valley Main wildfire near Zeballos on Aug. 21, 2018. Photo courtesy of Ernest Smith.

A helicopter drops water on the Gold Valley Main wildfire near Zeballos on Aug. 21, 2018. Photo courtesy of Ernest Smith.

The Gold Valley Main wildfire is still burning upslope and away from Zeballos, according to the Coastal Fire Centre.

According to the Coastal Fire Centre, the wildfire is now estimated to be 94 hectares and continues to burn in steep terrain that firefighters can’t safely access. Visibility on the fire is poor to the smoke but Zeballos residents are reporting an increase in the sound of falling debris. Two helicopters and 10 firefighters are working on the fire but the smoke is limiting the use of the helicopters.

Six properties are still under an evacuation order due to risk of falling debris but no debris has fallen on the homes. The fire itself is not close to those homes.

An evacuation alert is still in effect for the east side of the village. Firefighters are making sure homes and power poles are compliant with FireSmart.

WATCH: Thick smoke blankets Tahsis as wildfires burn across northern Vancouver Island. Video Courtesy of Tahsis Tourism.

North of the village, the Pinder Creek wildfire has grown to 200 hectares and is 10 per cent contained. The fire is near the only road into Zeballos and crews are removing trees along the road to strengthen the control line in that area.

There are now an estimated 64 wildfires burning north of Highway 28, including a wildfire of north of Port Alice at Larry Lake. As of Tuesday, the Larry Lake wildfire is five per cent contained and is burning away from Highway 30. The fire is threatening utility poles that carry power and telephone lines to the community. Crews are working to remove trees before they fall onto power lines.

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