Firefighters battling an out-of-control wildfire near Port Alberni, B.C., say recent rainfall and cooler temperatures have given them a much-needed reprieve, allowing them to extinguish hot spots ahead of warmer, drier weather forecast for later this week.
While the Mount Underwood fire remains measured at 36 square kilometres, Karley Desrosiers, a fire information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS), said the blaze has shown minimal activity in recent days thanks to the favourable conditions.
There are now 160 personnel working the fire, primarily focused on its north, northwest and southwest flanks.
“They are working to extinguish remaining fire 100 feet from the fire perimeter to ensure that this fire does not spread beyond the current perimeter,” Desrosiers said during an update Tuesday.
An out-of-control fire south of Port Alberni has grown to more than 34 square kilometres. The Mount Underwood wildfire was discovered on Monday and doubled in size in 24 hours. The B.C. Wildfire Service describes the blaze as aggressive and explosive and says the rapid growth is due to a severe drought.
Desrosiers said flames are visible on the surface but the fire is moving slowly. Despite the return of warm weather this week, she said no growth is anticipated, though heavy smoke may be visible.
“That is just because we are going to see some of those fuels dry out and emit more smoke as the fire kind of makes its way to those areas,” she said.
Environment Canada has again issued a special air quality statement for parts of Vancouver Island, saying that localized smoke from Mount Underwood may “periodically” affect Port Alberni and other nearby communities.
Two evacuation orders and three alerts remain in place through the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, including the order for the China Creek campground and the alert for parts of the Cameron Heights neighbourhood on the southern edge of the City of Port Alberni.
According to the district, about 200 people have been evacuated from the order zones, including roughly 50 residents and 150 visitors.
The fire has cut off access to the remote community of Bamfield, south of Port Alberni, as well as knocked out power to 500 B.C. Hydro customers in the area since Aug. 11.
The provincial power provider said the restoration work includes replacing 56 power poles and 70 spans of power line — roughly 20 kilometres in total.
In a statement Tuesday, the utility said ground crews are making steady progress in restoring power to more than 500 customers in Bamfield, the Huu-ay-aht First Nation and Ditidaht First Nation.
“Since arriving on site, crews have placed 15 new power poles and strung 11 spans of power line,” the statement read.
B.C. Hydro estimates power will be restored by Aug. 30., adding that some sections of the area, particularly those crossing steep, forested cliffs and unstable rock, remain restricted due to safety concerns.
Rain over the weekend has helped douse wildfire activity across B.C., with the number of active blazes down to about 60.
