Vancouver Island wildfire grows, air quality advisories expanded
A ravenous wildfire that's burning out of control on Vancouver Island has grown to more than 34 square kilometres as hundreds of properties remain under evacuation orders and alerts.
The Mount Underwood wildfire has triggered local states of emergency in nearby Port Alberni and the Tseshaht First Nation, while cutting off electricity and road access to the community of Bamfield.
Environment Canada has expanded its air quality advisories related to the wildfire as billowing smoke is expected to blanket inland and eastern Vancouver Island, as well as the Sunshine Coast and northern Gulf Islands, over the next 24 to 48 hours.
The Mount Underwood fire, approximately 12 kilometres south of Port Alberni, was first discovered Monday and has grown rapidly since, displaying what the B.C. Wildfire Service described as 'unusual fire behaviour for wildfires on Vancouver Island.'
Karley Desrosiers, a fire information officer with the Coastal Fire Centre, says the fire is not currently threatening the communities of Port Alberni, Bamfield and Youbou, but dry and windy conditions, along with steep, mountainous terrain, have made efforts to control the blaze difficult.
'We are in the midst of a severe drought and the island has seen very little rain since the end of June,' Desrosiers said Wednesday afternoon.
Some rain is expected to arrive in the region Thursday evening, with 15 to 40 millimetres forecast for the Port Alberni area, according to the wildfire service.
'The rain will assist our response efforts, however, it will take significant rain to have a meaningful impact,' the agency said.
The Mount Underwood fire is burning less than 20 kilometres southwest of the Wesley Ridge fire, which forced the evacuation of several hundred homes on the north side of Cameron Lake, east of Port Alberni.
The fire is one of about 90 active blazes across B.C., with six fires currently classified as burning out of control.
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