The more than 80-year-old cabin by Cameron Lake holds memories of six generations.
It was purchased by the family when Rhonda Morton's father was four years old, and is where she can remember picking huckleberries with her grandparents, making pancakes and hosting years of family birthdays and Easters.
"It's decades of memories. I've always called it my heaven here on earth. Every little corner … had meaning," she said.
The property is among nearly 400 under evacuation order due to a nearby wildfire burning on the north shore of the lake.
Instead of making their annual summer visit, Morton and her brother Kenneth are watching from their homes in Bella Coola, B.C., and worrying whether the cabin will be saved.
"We've been on the edge of our seat ever since we heard about the fire starting. Of course, not being able to go back there, we're just looking for updates non stop, just to check and see how the wildfires being managed," she said.
"Thankfully, the firefighters are out there giving all they've got, but we do hope the properties aren't touched."
Fire crews have been working through the night to battle the growing wildfire burning on the challenging steep and rocky terrain.
An update shared Sunday by the BC Wildfire Service said the fire measures about 3.89 square kilometres in size, up from the 2.45 square-kilometre estimate provided the day before.
Fire information officer Madison Dahl told a news conference that 142 personnel were responding to the fire located about 60 kilometres from the city of Nanaimo, along with seven helicopters and heavy equipment.
"Operations will continue to prioritize protection of residences, values and critical infrastructure," she said.
Dahl said fire departments from around Vancouver Island have been brought in to help and are focused on the Little Qualicum River Village and park area and the north side of Cameron Lake.
An evacuation order from the Regional District of Nanaimo covers a total of 393 mostly residential properties and also covers all of Little Qualicum Falls Park. Evacuation alerts have been issued for 238 other properties.
Douglas Holmes, the emergency operations director for the Regional District of Nanaimo, said the evacuation was complete by late Saturday.
Holmes said Sunday that he didn't have information on whether structures had been destroyed by the fire and added that details would be provided to homeowners first.
Brenda Brophy said she and her husband were camping at the park and decided to leave early on Saturday, hours before the evacuation order was issued.
She said the park was under an evacuation alert at the time and staff had warned campers to be prepared to go if necessary.
"Saturday, the smoke got heavier and heavier, and then ash was falling from the sky and people were leaving," she said, adding that by the time they drove out, only a handful of campers were left in her area.
Dahl said the fire along Cameron Lake was burning in inaccessible and challenging terrain "with large amounts of available timber."
"It is going to continue to produce smoke as the fire consumes fuels along the slope," she said.
Dahl said the region is expected to get cooler in the next few days, but added the area is in a period of drought.
She said some rain is possible for Wednesday, but a significant amount would be needed to make a difference in the fire.
The wildfire service said large-scale water delivery systems were being established and heavy equipment was working to create control lines in workable ground.
As of Sunday afternoon, the BC Wildfire Service dashboard listed 147 active wildfires in the province, including 38 that started in the last 24 hours.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2025.
Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press
