Crews continue to battle an out-of-control wildfire that has prompted evacuations on Vancouver Island, the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) said in an update Saturday.

Fire information officer Madison Dahl says recent hot weather is fueling the Wesley Ridge blaze.

“We anticipate smoke in the forecast as the fire behaviour increases with heat and consumes the available fuels,” Dahl said.

“The majority of this smoke is coming from well within the perimeter of the fire, where it is accessing unburned areas and creating all of that smoke.”

Hundreds of people remain on evacuation orders and alerts in the area, says Lisa Grant, the general manager of development and emergency services for the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN).

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