Visitors cautioned to stay out of some streams in P.E.I. National Park due to high bacteria levels
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Globe and Mail
24 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Campground and marina near Port Alberni, B.C., evacuated as Mount Underwood wildfire spreads
The rapidly growing wildfire on Vancouver Island near Port Alberni, B.C., has reached 13.9 square kilometres in size, almost triple what was reported when the fire was first reported late Monday. The Mount Underwood wildfire is now classified as a fire-of-note and has cut off the main road access to a community 90 kilometres southwest of Port Alberni in addition to forcing an evacuation of a local campground. BC Wildfire Service fire information officer Christi Howes said Tuesday that the blaze has forced the closure of the highway between Port Alberni and Bamfield. Howes said the Bamfield is without power and operating with limited services, and people should avoid travelling there by other means of transportation. 'We don't want to add any additional pressures to the community by having extra people trying to get there either by road or by trail,' she said. Bamfield is a popular tourist destination for sport fishing and for those hiking the West Coast Trail. The fire triggered an evacuation order for an area that includes the China Creek Campground and Marina, which has 250 tent and RV campsites and is about 15 kilometres southwest of Port Alberni. Ladysmith, B.C., resident Chelsea Fitzel was camping with her family at China Creek Monday when they were told to leave. 'We lost power at China Creek campground around 6:30 p.m. as we were getting ready for dinner,' Fitzel said in a text message response. 'Shortly after, the China Creek campground staff drove around on their golf carts with loud speakers saying, 'The campsite is being evacuated – leave your boats, leave your trailers, get in your vehicles and go.'' Newfoundlanders ordered to evacuate as wildfire burns near St. John's Fire near Kelowna leads to tactical evacuations, closes highway Fitzel, who was scheduled to stay at the campground until Aug. 18, said her husband was able to return to the marina at China Creek by boat from Port Alberni to retrieve their own vessel, and police told them Tuesday they could briefly return to the campground to get their trailer. Meanwhile, the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District said Tuesday that an evacuation order has been issued for about 300 properties in the sparsely populated area. Regional District Chairperson and Huu-ay-aht First Nations Chief-Councillor John Jack said in an update posted on Facebook that there is still road access to Bamfield through rural roads, but it should not be considered 'a major thoroughfare for public to go as they like.' Jack added that the power in Bamfield will likely be out for at least 72 hours if not longer, and people currently camping near the community can choose whether to leave but the trip will likely take longer than usual. 'Take care of each other,' Jack said in the message to people in the affected areas. 'Check in with one another. The West Coast is resilient. I know that this is nothing new for a lot of our people, but there's empathy out there and people need to take care of one another. 'How we're feeling is going to be just as important as what we're doing, and so that kind of work is important as well.' Howes said crews had been working on fire protection for buildings, including at private campgrounds and at forestry mills and log-sorting facilities in the area. She said the fire is displaying behaviour up to a rank-5 intensity, which means an 'extremely vigorous surface fire or active crown fire' with limited options available to fight the burning directly. The cause of the fire has not been determined. The wildfire service said in an earlier update that an attack crew and several firefighting aircraft have been mobilized to fight the fast-growing blaze, and structural protection specialists are also on site. Howes said three additional units arrived Tuesday, while an incident management team was en route and will take over command of the situation by Thursday. She said the fire is not affecting the resources available to fight another nearby fire, the Wesley Ridge blaze burning near Cameron Lake that had triggered evacuations for hundreds of homes last week. Howes said firefighters are anticipating cooler weather and some rain in the area later this week, but the situation remains dynamic and crews will be watching the weather 'very closely.' There are about 96 wildfires burning across B.C., eight of which are classified as out-of-control. The Wildfire Service said Tuesday that temperatures are well above seasonal from the coast to the Rockies in southern B.C., and while cooler air is expected to move in from the north, it will remain hot and dry in the south before a new system brings rain to the area by Friday.
CTV News
35 minutes ago
- CTV News
Port Alberni, B.C., declares state of emergency due to fast-moving wildfire
The Mount Underwood wildfire is burning out of control near Port Alberni, forcing hundreds of people to flee. The City of Port Alberni has declared a state of local emergency in response to a fast-moving wildfire that has burned more than 20 square kilometres of forest and triggered evacuations south of the Vancouver Island community. The Mount Underwood wildfire continues to burn out of control Wednesday, and has closed the main access road between Port Alberni and Bamfield, where the fire has knocked out power to hundreds of residents and businesses, according to BC Hydro. 'Bamfield has no power and limited services,' the B.C. Wildfire Service said in a fire response bulletin Wednesday morning. 'We are asking people to stay away from Bamfield unless you are a resident; we don't want any additional pressures to the community by having extra people trying to get there, either by road or by trails.' Read more: Complete coverage of B.C.'s 2025 wildfire season An evacuation order has been issued by the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District for the China Creek Campground and Marina, which hosts approximately 250 campsites about 15 kilometres southwest of Port Alberni. On Tuesday, the regional district issued an evacuation order for about 300 rural properties in Electoral Area A and Electoral Area F. The neighbouring Cowichan Valley Regional District has also issued an evacuation order for homes in Electoral Area F, between Port Alberni and Nitinat. The Cameron Heights area of Port Alberni has been placed under an evacuation alert, with the city urging residents to be prepared to leave their homes on short notice. The Mount Underwood fire was first discovered Monday and spread rapidly, becoming the largest wildfire on Vancouver Island. Wildfire officials say night vision-equipped helicopters and an air tanker attacked the blaze Tuesday night as the fire reached within 12 kilometres of Port Alberni. The wildfire service says the fire is displaying rank-4 and rank-5 fire behaviour, meaning it is burning at a highly vigorous to extremely vigorous rate. Wildfire smoke advisory The fire has prompted Environment Canada to issue a special air quality statement for the inland Vancouver Island region as smoke is expected to remain over the region for the next 24 to 48 hours. 'Areas along the west coast of Vancouver Island (Tofino to Sooke) may also experience periods of smoke, but to a lesser degree,' the weather office said in an advisory Wednesday. 'As smoke levels increase, health risks increase. Limit time outdoors. Consider reducing or rescheduling outdoor sports, activities and events,' the agency added. 'People more likely to be impacted by outdoor air pollution, including people aged 65 and older, pregnant people, infants and young children, people with an existing illness or chronic health condition, and people who work outdoors, should reduce or reschedule strenuous activities outdoors and seek medical attention if experiencing symptoms.' The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Approximately 90 wildfires are currently burning across B.C., seven of which are classified as out-of-control.
CTV News
35 minutes ago
- CTV News
What to know about credit card travel insurance as an Air Canada strike looms
The Air Canada check-in area inside Terminal 1 of Toronto Pearson International Airport is pictured in Mississauga, Ont., on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey After carefully planning a summer vacation, the last thing on your mind should be finding alternate transportation. But some travellers could be left scrambling as the clock ticks down to a possible work stoppage at Air Canada. The airline says it will gradually suspend its flights starting Thursday after the union representing the airline's 10,000 flight attendants and the airline itself issued 72-hour strike and lockout notices, respectively. They are set to take effect around 1 a.m. ET on Saturday. It can be challenging for customers who are stuck in the crossfire, dealing with delays and cancellations. But travellers may be in luck if they booked their tickets with a credit card that has built-in travel insurance — with one caveat. 'You have to make sure that when you're booking it, it isn't past the date where many of (the credit card companies) would view it as a known event,' said Will McAleer, executive director of the Travel Health Insurance Association. That means as long as the tickets were booked before a potential labour dispute became apparent, the credit card travel insurance would cover it under their trip cancellation policy, McAleer explained. If the ticket was booked via credit card after the strike became foreseeable, the disruption-related costs wouldn't be covered, he added. But it's important to read the fine print of your credit card's travel insurance policy, said Natasha Macmillan, senior business director of everyday banking at Macmillan said consumers need to double-check if labour dispute-related cancellations or delays are covered. Often, the travel policy would specify exclusions such as delays caused by government actions, a pandemic or labour disruption. She said labour dispute coverage can also vary depending on the card type and card provider. For example, some high-end credit cards may cover disruptions from labour strikes even when the tickets were booked after it became a foreseeable event. Macmillan said travellers should also understand their coverage limits and payout rules. 'There tend to be very specific requirements,' she said. For example, some credit card travel insurance may cover up to $5,000 for a trip cancellation, while other cards may have a lower limit. Besides the maximum coverage, McAleer said travellers need to determine if the policy is sufficient for the trip — is it less than or more than what you've paid per traveller. Consumers also need to make sure they meet the terms and conditions of the credit card policy, which could include paying for a large portion of the trip through the credit card, he added. McAleer said if there's a trip interruption when a traveller is already in transit, the airlines usually provide some services, such as meals and hotel stays. During labour disruptions, Steven Harris, a licensed insurance broker and expert, said while passengers are generally entitled to reimbursement for accommodations, meals and rebooking, airlines are not obligated to compensate for additional costs such as prepaid hotel bookings unless they are specifically covered by the airline's policy or a travel insurance policy. Air Canada has said customers affected by flight cancellations will be eligible for a full refund. It has also made arrangements with other carriers to provide alternative options, but warns it could take time to secure capacity given other airlines are already full due to the summer travel peak. Experts say credit card insurance policies come down to understanding the coverage and doing your homework ahead of time. 'We all know there's a reasonable chance this could happen,' he said. 'If I was travelling on those days and likely going to be impacted over that time, I would make that call.' McAleer said it's important to double-check with the credit card administrator to see if the policy covers labour strikes. 'I'd want to call my credit card issuer and see what my protection was likely going to do,' he said. 'Prepare yourself for any surprise.' --- Ritika Dubey, The Canadian Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2025.
