A vehicle detour route that is serving as a lifeline between eastern and western Vancouver Island amid a raging wildfire will be closed for much of the day Friday.
British Columbia transportation officials say the four-hour detour connecting Port Alberni, Tofino and Ucluelet with the rest of the province will be closed to all traffic from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The closure is required for work crews and environmental specialists to extract a vehicle that rolled into Francis Lake along the emergency route, according to the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. "The detour is along forest-service and privately owned industrial roads, includes single-lane bridges and challenging terrain, and adds an additional four hours of travel to the route. The province has asked drivers to avoid travel and only take the detour for essential purposes."
Checkpoints have been established along the backcountry detour between Port Alberni and Youbou to provide travellers with route information.Tanker trucks have been spraying water along the detour route to reduce dust amid persistent hot and dry conditions, though the roadway remains treacherous.
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