Latest news with #AlberniClayoquotRegionalDistrict
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Officials hope rain clear heavy smoke from wildfire near Port Alberni, B.C.
PORT ALBERNI — Officials on Vancouver Island are hoping rain in the forecast can help clear up the air quality muddied by an out-of-control wildfire. The Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District says wildland firefighters have said the rain may improve air quality locally, but that it's hard to be certain. The west central region is under an air quality statement, along with parts of Vancouver Island's east coast and the Sunshine coast region on the B.C. mainland. The intense Mount Underwood wildfire has grown to more than 34 square kilometres, with fire behaviour that the BC Wildfire Service says is "unusual" for Vancouver Island. The fire has cut off power and the main road access to Bamfield, B.C., about 200 kilometres northwest of Victoria, and Parks Canada says it is starting to limit visits to the popular West Coast Trail in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. The Huu-ay-aht First Nations says it has cancelled all Bamfield reservations up to Tuesday, and local businesses will not process any new reservations for that time period. The City of Port Alberni has opened a relief centre for those looking to escape the smoke and heat. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2025. The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
'Explosive' wildfire growth near Port Alberni, B.C., unusual for Vancouver Island: wildfire service
Rain is expected to fall on an out-of-control wildfire on Vancouver Island on Friday, but wildfire crews are focusing their efforts on the edge closest to the community of Port Alberni, B.C., as winds push the fire in that direction. The Mount Underwood fire jumped to 21.56 square kilometres (2,156 hectares) Wednesday morning, and is burning more than 10 kilometres south of Port Alberni, a small city home to about 19,000 people. The fire, which is roughly the same size as the City of Victoria, has prompted the city, Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD) and Tseshaht First Nation to declare states of local emergency. More than 500 properties in the Bamfield and Anacla areas are still without power due to the blaze, according to B.C. Hydro's outage list. Those properties haven't had power since around 6 p.m. PT on Monday. The ACRD has said the power is expected to be out for longer than 72 hours. Evacuation orders have been issued by the ACRD and Cowichan Valley Regional District for around 55 properties in total, a mix of residential, commercial, industrial and recreational properties. WATCH | Vancouver Island wildfire grows rapidly: The fire rapidly expanded Tuesday, ballooning from about 6.3 square kilometres Monday night to almost 14.5 square kilometres Tuesday night, before growing again Wednesday. ACRD chair and Huu-ay-aht First Nations Chief Coun. John Jack said the quick growth of the fire is concerning. "This is a fire that hasn't really been seen on Vancouver Island," he told CBC's On the Island Wednesday morning. Three evacuation alerts are also in effect, issued by the ACRD, the City of Port Alberni for the Cameron Heights neighbourhood, and the Tseshaht First Nation. The alerts, which require residents to be ready to leave at a moment's notice, cover almost 200 affected properties. Jack stressed that those under evacuation alert should have a plan for where to stay, where to keep pets and what to do for medications, especially if they need refrigeration. In a news conference on Wednesday afternoon, fire information office Karley Desrosiers said that forecasters were predicting rain on Friday, but it likely wouldn't immediately extinguish the blaze. "As we've experienced over much of the summer, the forecast often over-predicts the amount of rain that we receive," she told reporters. "Due to the drought conditions that we're experiencing ... on Vancouver Island, it would take a significant amount of rain over a longer period to really penetrate and extinguish the fire that is going to be burning deep in the ground." Desrosiers said firefighters didn't see rapid growth overnight into Wednesday, as they had on Monday when the fire was first started. It is suspected to have been sparked by human activity, and she said that firefighters were focusing on the northwest flank of the blaze, closest to Port Alberni. "Today, we've seen a shift in the wind. So the wind is pushing from the south towards the north, which is why crews are focused heavily on that northern flank," she said.'Unprecedented' dry conditions Julia Caranci, another fire information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service, said Tuesday this "extreme" fire behaviour is unusual for Vancouver Island. "We are in the midst of a severe drought," she said at a news conference on Tuesday. She noted strong winds had pushed the fire "aggressively" uphill. "In the seven years I've worked for the Coastal Fire Centre, I don't think I've seen a fire like this on Vancouver Island," Caranci said. She said the "unprecedented" dry conditions, combined with the strong winds, hot weather and steep, rugged terrain, came together to contribute to the fire's growth. "When the temperature is rising and the relative humidity falls, and we have strong winds pushing on a new incident, we can see that explosive type of growth," Caranci said. "Again, we don't normally see that on fires on Vancouver Island." The province has issued an air quality warning due to the wildfire smoke. It recommended residents near Port Alberni and areas to the southeast, such as Lake Cowichan, limit their time outdoors, as increasing smoke levels can increase health risks. The service said there is no threat to Bamfield or Port Alberni at this time, but has asked non-residents to stay away from Bamfield, an unincorporated community with about 300 year-round residents, to avoid putting more pressure on the community. Ken Watts, elected chief councillor of the Tsesaht First Nation, said he personally delivered evacuation alerts to some of his nation's members due to the blaze. "To see, like, the kind of fear in their eyes about their home and the sadness, worried about what it is, what could happen to their own home — it's something I'll never forget, and it's a tough thing to do," he said. "Really, again, a huge shout-out to all those who work in this field. They do this every single day." Power outage in Bamfield area B.C. Hydro says it's likely to be many days, possibly more than a week, before power is restored to Bamfield and the nearby Ditidaht First Nation. "It all depends on when we're given permission to go into the area to do the assessment," said Ted Olynyk, manager of community relations for B.C. Hydro, Vancouver Island-Sunshine Coast. Olynyk said the utility company needs to wait for clearance from BCWS and government authorities in order for it to be safe for crews to assess the damage. And once Hydro crews can assess, then the repairs need to take place. "That can be a couple days; it could be up to a week, depending on the amount of damage we're faced with." Olynyk said there have been some pictures from the air showing damage to power lines. "But we don't know if it's just five poles, five kilometres' worth of poles [or] how much damage we have to deal with." Jack, ACRD chair, said Wednesday morning that the community hall and office operate on propane, and generators operate on diesel or gasoline. He said organizations are working to get fuel to the community through the alternate route to and from the Cowichan area.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
'Explosive' wildfire growth near Port Alberni, B.C., unusual for Vancouver Island: wildfire service
Rain is expected to fall on an out-of-control wildfire on Vancouver Island on Friday, but wildfire crews are focusing their efforts on the edge closest to the community of Port Alberni, B.C., as winds push the fire in that direction. The Mount Underwood fire jumped to 21.56 square kilometres (2,156 hectares) Wednesday morning, and is burning more than 10 kilometres south of Port Alberni, a small city home to about 19,000 people. The fire, which is roughly the same size as the City of Victoria, has prompted the city, Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD) and Tseshaht First Nation to declare states of local emergency. More than 500 properties in the Bamfield and Anacla areas are still without power due to the blaze, according to B.C. Hydro's outage list. Those properties haven't had power since around 6 p.m. PT on Monday. The ACRD has said the power is expected to be out for longer than 72 hours. Evacuation orders have been issued by the ACRD and Cowichan Valley Regional District for around 55 properties in total, a mix of residential, commercial, industrial and recreational properties. WATCH | Vancouver Island wildfire grows rapidly: The fire rapidly expanded Tuesday, ballooning from about 6.3 square kilometres Monday night to almost 14.5 square kilometres Tuesday night, before growing again Wednesday. ACRD chair and Huu-ay-aht First Nations Chief Coun. John Jack said the quick growth of the fire is concerning. "This is a fire that hasn't really been seen on Vancouver Island," he told CBC's On the Island Wednesday morning. Three evacuation alerts are also in effect, issued by the ACRD, the City of Port Alberni for the Cameron Heights neighbourhood, and the Tseshaht First Nation. The alerts, which require residents to be ready to leave at a moment's notice, cover almost 200 affected properties. Jack stressed that those under evacuation alert should have a plan for where to stay, where to keep pets and what to do for medications, especially if they need refrigeration. In a news conference on Wednesday afternoon, fire information office Karley Desrosiers said that forecasters were predicting rain on Friday, but it likely wouldn't immediately extinguish the blaze. "As we've experienced over much of the summer, the forecast often over-predicts the amount of rain that we receive," she told reporters. "Due to the drought conditions that we're experiencing ... on Vancouver Island, it would take a significant amount of rain over a longer period to really penetrate and extinguish the fire that is going to be burning deep in the ground." Desrosiers said firefighters didn't see rapid growth overnight into Wednesday, as they had on Monday when the fire was first started. It is suspected to have been sparked by human activity, and she said that firefighters were focusing on the northwest flank of the blaze, closest to Port Alberni. "Today, we've seen a shift in the wind. So the wind is pushing from the south towards the north, which is why crews are focused heavily on that northern flank," she said.'Unprecedented' dry conditions Julia Caranci, another fire information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service, said Tuesday this "extreme" fire behaviour is unusual for Vancouver Island. "We are in the midst of a severe drought," she said at a news conference on Tuesday. She noted strong winds had pushed the fire "aggressively" uphill. "In the seven years I've worked for the Coastal Fire Centre, I don't think I've seen a fire like this on Vancouver Island," Caranci said. She said the "unprecedented" dry conditions, combined with the strong winds, hot weather and steep, rugged terrain, came together to contribute to the fire's growth. "When the temperature is rising and the relative humidity falls, and we have strong winds pushing on a new incident, we can see that explosive type of growth," Caranci said. "Again, we don't normally see that on fires on Vancouver Island." The province has issued an air quality warning due to the wildfire smoke. It recommended residents near Port Alberni and areas to the southeast, such as Lake Cowichan, limit their time outdoors, as increasing smoke levels can increase health risks. The service said there is no threat to Bamfield or Port Alberni at this time, but has asked non-residents to stay away from Bamfield, an unincorporated community with about 300 year-round residents, to avoid putting more pressure on the community. Ken Watts, elected chief councillor of the Tsesaht First Nation, said he personally delivered evacuation alerts to some of his nation's members due to the blaze. "To see, like, the kind of fear in their eyes about their home and the sadness, worried about what it is, what could happen to their own home — it's something I'll never forget, and it's a tough thing to do," he said. "Really, again, a huge shout-out to all those who work in this field. They do this every single day." Power outage in Bamfield area B.C. Hydro says it's likely to be many days, possibly more than a week, before power is restored to Bamfield and the nearby Ditidaht First Nation. "It all depends on when we're given permission to go into the area to do the assessment," said Ted Olynyk, manager of community relations for B.C. Hydro, Vancouver Island-Sunshine Coast. Olynyk said the utility company needs to wait for clearance from BCWS and government authorities in order for it to be safe for crews to assess the damage. And once Hydro crews can assess, then the repairs need to take place. "That can be a couple days; it could be up to a week, depending on the amount of damage we're faced with." Olynyk said there have been some pictures from the air showing damage to power lines. "But we don't know if it's just five poles, five kilometres' worth of poles [or] how much damage we have to deal with." Jack, ACRD chair, said Wednesday morning that the community hall and office operate on propane, and generators operate on diesel or gasoline. He said organizations are working to get fuel to the community through the alternate route to and from the Cowichan area.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
'Massive' wildfire south of Port Alberni, B.C., doubles in size in less than a day
A wildfire near Port Alberni, B.C., is rapidly growing out of control and has more than doubled in size in less than a day. The Mount Underwood wildfire, measuring almost 14.5 square kilometres as of 7 p.m. PT, is located just over 10 kilometres south of the Vancouver Island city, which is home to around 19,000 people. About 300 people were evacuated Monday from a nearby campground and marina, and the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD) issued a new evacuation order Tuesday for the Mount Underwood area, including parts of the Bamfield and Cherry Creek electoral areas. The order said the wildfire is a "threat to those in the evacuation order" and is "surrounding the Bamfield Main Road and making it impassable." Later on Tuesday evening, the ACRD issued an evacuation alert — meaning residents should be prepared to leave at a moment's notice — for an area just north of the one on evacuation order, declaring a local state of emergency in the process. A 24-hour reception centre has been set up at the Alberni Athletic Hall, according to EmergencyInfoBC. In a news conference Tuesday, the ACRD said that 50 properties were subject to the order, a mixture of commercial, industrial and recreational properties. A regional district spokesperson had earlier told CBC News the majority were recreational, with officials saying some of the properties included long-term camping sites. Around 3:40 p.m. PT, a further evacuation order was issued for five residential properties southeast of the fire in the Cowichan Lake area, with evacuees told to go to the Cowichan Lake Sports Arena if they needed assistance. The fire has also knocked out power for more than 500 B.C. Hydro customers in the community of Bamfield, according to the utility's outage list. "The power will likely be out for at least 72 hours, likely more," Huu-ay-aht First Nations Chief Coun. John Jack, ACRD chair, said in a news conference on Tuesday afternoon. "Therefore, people will have to take take the steps they need to manage their own families and checking on their neighbours." Fire grows rapidly The fire was discovered Monday and grew quickly throughout the day, ballooning from around 50 hectares at 7 p.m. PT to 630 hectares (6.3 square kilometres) three hours later. It was reported as 859 hectares (almost 8.6 square kilometres) on Tuesday morning and then 1,391 hectares (almost 14 square kilometres) as of the B.C. Wildfire Service's 1:45 p.m. update, over three times the size of Stanley Park in Vancouver. WATCH | Wildfire forces hundreds from Vancouver Island campground: "It grew massive," Jack said when speaking on CBC's On The Island Tuesday morning. He noted the fire has grown larger than the nearby Wesley Ridge fire was at its height. The road between Bamfield, an unincorporated community with about 300 year-round residents, and Port Alberni is closed in both directions due to the wildfire, according to DriveBC. Jack said people are advised to use the Cowichan route if they need to get to the Bamfield area. Christi Howes, fire information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) said there are no threats to Port Alberni or Bamfield at this time, but she stressed the need for people who are not residents to stay away from Bamfield. "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. Aggressive fire behaviour On Tuesday, the BCWS said the blaze was displaying Rank 4 and Rank 5 fire behaviour — meaning it was an extremely vigorous surface fire and burning to the tops of trees. In an update later Tuesday afternoon, Julia Caranci from the BCWS said that the aggressive fire behaviour was unusual for Vancouver Island. "On the Island, we tend to have the moderating winds coming in shore from the ocean, which do tend to moderate fire behaviour," she said. "I would say ... that in the seven years I've worked for the Coastal Fire Centre, I don't think I've seen a fire like this on Vancouver Island." Caranci said that strong winds through the Alberni Inlet had prompted the fire's "explosive type of growth" uphill on Monday, and the area had had very little rain since the end of June. "What we're seeing is incredibly dry conditions, which normally we would not have for this extended period of time," the fire information officer said. "And that is combined with very steep terrain where this fire is and strong winds and how hot it is." Jack said residents of Bamfield and Anacla, a Huu-ay-aht First Nations community, are resilient and used to restricted access. "Being cut off from the Port Alberni area is always a bit of a concerning situation for them, but they're no strangers to using gravel roads to get to where they need to go," Jack said Tuesday morning. "That being said, the power is out — and it's out indefinitely. And that's perhaps the most concerning thing." In a 7:15 a.m. update Tuesday, B.C. Hydro said a crew had been assigned to the outage, but no time was given for when the power may return. It's been down since about 6 p.m. Monday. Jack recommended residents be prepared by making a "72-hour kit," having a plan for staying in place, and monitoring verified information sources. Howes said structural protection has been put in place for private campgrounds, mills and log-sorting facilities in the area. She said crews are expecting wind and rain in the forecast. "It's a dynamic situation and we will be watching the weather very closely," she said. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The Mount Underwood fire grows just after the Wesley Ridge fire, burning northwest of Nanaimo, was downgraded from "out of control" to "being held." Howes said the Wesley Ridge fire remains "adequately resourced."
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
'Massive' wildfire south of Port Alberni, B.C., doubles in size in less than a day
A wildfire near Port Alberni, B.C., is rapidly growing out of control and has more than doubled in size in less than a day. The Mount Underwood wildfire, now measuring almost 14 square kilometres, is located just over 10 kilometres south of the Vancouver Island city, which is home to around 19,000 people. About 300 people were evacuated Monday from a nearby campground and marina, and the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD) issued a new evacuation order Tuesday for the Mount Underwood area, including parts of the Bamfield and Cherry Creek electoral areas. The order said the wildfire is a "threat to those in the evacuation order" and is "surrounding the Bamfield Main Road and making it impassable." A 24-hour reception centre has been set up at the Alberni Athletic Hall, according to EmergencyInfoBC. In a news conference Tuesday, the ACRD said that 50 properties were subject to the order, a mixture of commercial, industrial and recreational properties. A regional district spokesperson had earlier told CBC News the majority were recreational, with officials saying some of the properties included long-term camping sites. Around 3:40 p.m. PT, a further evacuation order was issued for five residential properties southeast of the fire in the Cowichan Lake area, with evacuees told to go to the Cowichan Lake Sports Arena if they needed assistance. The fire has also knocked out power for more than 500 B.C. Hydro customers in the community of Bamfield, according to the utility's outage list. "The power will likely be out for at least 72 hours, likely more," Huu-ay-aht First Nations Chief Coun. John Jack, ACRD chair, said in a news conference on Tuesday afternoon. "Therefore, people will have to take take the steps they need to manage their own families and checking on their neighbours." Fire grows rapidly The fire was discovered Monday and grew quickly throughout the day, ballooning from around 50 hectares at 7 p.m. PT to 630 hectares (6.3 square kilometres) three hours later. It was reported as 859 hectares (almost 8.6 square kilometres) on Tuesday morning and then 1,391 hectares (almost 14 square kilometres) as of the B.C. Wildfire Service's 1:45 p.m. update, over three times the size of Stanley Park in Vancouver. WATCH | Wildfire forces hundreds from Vancouver Island campground: "It grew massive," Jack said when speaking on CBC's On The Island Tuesday morning. He noted the fire has grown larger than the nearby Wesley Ridge fire was at its height. The road between Bamfield, an unincorporated community with about 300 year-round residents, and Port Alberni is closed in both directions due to the wildfire, according to DriveBC. Jack said people are advised to use the Cowichan route if they need to get to the Bamfield area. Christi Howes, fire information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) said there are no threats to Port Alberni or Bamfield at this time, but she stressed the need for people who are not residents to stay away from Bamfield. "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. Aggressive fire behaviour On Tuesday, the BCWS said the blaze was displaying Rank 4 and Rank 5 fire behaviour — meaning it was an extremely vigorous surface fire and burning to the tops of trees. In an update later Tuesday afternoon, Julia Caranci from the BCWS said that the aggressive fire behaviour was unusual for Vancouver Island. "On the Island, we tend to have the moderating winds coming in shore from the ocean, which do tend to moderate fire behaviour," she said. "I would say ... that in the seven years I've worked for the Coastal Fire Centre, I don't think I've seen a fire like this on Vancouver Island." Caranci said that strong winds through the Alberni Inlet had prompted the fire's "explosive type of growth" uphill on Monday, and the area had had very little rain since the end of June. "What we're seeing is incredibly dry conditions, which normally we would not have for this extended period of time," the fire information officer said. "And that is combined with very steep terrain where this fire is and strong winds and how hot it is." Jack said residents of Bamfield and Anacla, a Huu-ay-aht First Nations community, are resilient and used to restricted access. "Being cut off from the Port Alberni area is always a bit of a concerning situation for them, but they're no strangers to using gravel roads to get to where they need to go," Jack said Tuesday morning. "That being said, the power is out — and it's out indefinitely. And that's perhaps the most concerning thing." In a 7:15 a.m. update Tuesday, B.C. Hydro said a crew had been assigned to the outage, but no time was given for when the power may return. It's been down since about 6 p.m. Monday. Jack recommended residents be prepared by making a "72-hour kit," having a plan for staying in place, and monitoring verified information sources. Howes said structural protection has been put in place for private campgrounds, mills and log-sorting facilities in the area. She said crews are expecting wind and rain in the forecast. "It's a dynamic situation and we will be watching the weather very closely," she said. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The Mount Underwood fire grows just after the Wesley Ridge fire, burning northwest of Nanaimo, was downgraded from "out of control" to "being held." Howes said the Wesley Ridge fire remains "adequately resourced."
