Dozens of firefighters battling out-of-control blaze near Sayward, B.C.

Fifty-five firefighters have descended on the northern Vancouver Island village of Sayward, where an out-of-control wildfire exploded in size Monday night, becoming the largest fire of the season for British Columbia's coastal region.

Fifty-five firefighters have descended on the northern Vancouver Island village of Sayward, where an out-of-control wildfire exploded in size Monday night, becoming the largest fire of the season for British Columbia's coastal region.

Three helicopters and multiple firetrucks were dispatched to the Newcastle Creek fire on Tuesday morning, with the possibility of a fourth helicopter joining suppression efforts by the afternoon.

There are currently no evacuation orders in place for Sayward, which lies approximately five kilometres east of the Newcastle Creek fire.

Julia Caranci, a spokesperson for B.C.'s Coastal Fire Centre, says the Newcastle Creek fire was first reported to officials around 1:30 p.m. Monday when it covered an area of 15 hectares.

High winds have fueled a sixfold increase in the fire's size, reaching 90 hectares by Monday night and into Tuesday.

"We are not recommending any sort of evacuation alert, however the town is being strongly impacted by smoke as are other parts of Vancouver Island," Caranci said in an interview Tuesday.

Smoky skies blanketed much of the Comox Valley on Tuesday morning. The air quality health index for Nanaimo, approximately 200 kilometres southeast of Sayward, was measured at 4 or "moderate risk" Tuesday morning, according to Environment Canada.