Comox Valley fire crews responded to a fire just north of Courtenay on Tuesday afternoon (Aug. 12).
Reports on social media say that the fires started at around 2 p.m. north of the Courtenay Country Market grocery store on Highway 19a.
Danny Usher, a witness who works at PR Autobrokers in the same shopping complex said that "our detailler mentioned he could smell smoke and we walked over to the highway and instantly saw huge black clouds of smoke rising up and growing fast. Within a couple of minutes firetrucks were whipping by to the scene.
"It was very impressive how fast they got there," he added.
Both directions of the highway were closed for about an hour, the posts online said.
Emergency Support Services are on their way to the site, as of 3 p.m. Usher said that cars are being diverted onto Bridges Road, and the fire scanner also said traffic was diverted up Hardy Road. However, Usher said there was no visible smoke as of 3:11 p.m.
Emergency Support Services arrived at around 3:30. Emergency Support Services gives basic, short-term support to people who are impacted by disasters like fires. These can include temporary lodging, food, clothing, and things like toiletries. It also includes Specialized services like emotional support, health services (such as first aid), pet care, and transportation.
More to come...
