Significant amount of rainfall slows the spread of wildfires on Vancouver Island

PORT ALBERNI — BC Hydro said restoration work will take up to two weeks after an out-of-control wildfire, which is burning south of Port Alberni, B.C., left hundreds of residents in the nearby communities without power since Monday.

Firefighters on Vancouver Island say a “significant” amount of rainfall has helped crews to make progress in battling the Mount Underwood wildfire, which has prompted three evacuation alerts and two orders.

The BC Wildfire Service said that crews are seeing improvement on the Mount Underwood wildfire after the area has received more than 30 millimetres of rain since Thursday, leading to minimal fire growth over the past 24 hours.

Kiah Allen, operations chief on the Mount Underwood wildfire from the Coastal Fire Centre, said in an operational update on Friday that the next three days will allow crews to make good progress as they are seeing relief in the weather.

Allen said her crews have been taking advantage of the cooler weather to do assessments and secure the perimeter before the weather becomes hot and dry again.

The Mount Underwood wildfire is currently measured at 36.68 square kilometres in size, and about 19 pieces of heavy equipment and 168 firefighters are working to control the blaze.

The Alberni Clayoquot Regional District, located on Vancouver Island, said in a post on Saturday that crews have been focusing efforts on the north and northwest portions of the fire, hoping to further contain areas closest to the City of Port Alberni.

The service said that while the weather can help calm down fire behaviour and create safer conditions for crews, heavy rainfall could also lead to slope instability, rockfalls and danger trees.

The regional district said the rain does not mean it’s safe to enter the evacuation order zone due to the risks of fallen trees and rocks, and it’s important for residents to stay out of the evacuation order zone.

The fire has cut off power and main road access to Huu-ay-aht First Nation, whose traditional territory includes Bamfield, as the district said there are roughly 55 power poles that have been burned and are down, with an unknown timeline for fully restoring power.

BC Hydro said in a statement on Saturday that restoration work has begun after the wildfire caused “extensive damage” and left more than 500 customers in Bamfield, the Huu-ay-aht First Nation, and Ditidaht First Nation in the dark since Aug. 11 when the fire was first discovered.

BC Hydro said its crews launched a full patrol and damage assessment and determined that they need to restring about 20 kilometres of power line.

It said the rebuilding work will cover six kilometres, including two kilometres of “particularly difficult” terrain labelled by steep forested cliffs and unstable rock.

BC Hydro said it’s estimated that power restoration could take up to two weeks due to the scale of the damage and the challenging terrain.

“Due to the highway closure, crews will initially access the site through Duncan, adding approximately two hours of travel time each way. Once the road reopens, access will improve significantly,” read the statement.

About 80 fires are burning across the province, including four that are out of control.

A provincial situation report from the wildfire service said that below-seasonal temperatures are expected to last on Saturday.

It said that while eastern parts of the province could experience thunderstorms mixed with embedded precipitation on Saturday, areas like Vanderhoof, Fort St James, and parts of the Western Cariboo will likely stay dry.

It said the cooler and damp weather is likely to stay in the coastal and northern regions of B.C. over the weekend, but the Southern Interior, right across to the southeastern reaches of the province, will experience warm and dry conditions.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 16, 2025.

The Canadian Press