Forecasted rain could help clear heavy smoke from wildfire near Port Alberni

Fire behaviour has slightly improved at Mount Underwood after over 17 millimetres of rain fell overnight; but officials say it is still “unusual” for Vancouver Island.

The raging wildfire was first discovered Aug. 11 and is now reaching 34 square kilometres in size. BC Wildfire Service says it has had limited growth since yesterday.

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The fire on Vancouver Island has led to evacuation orders from both the Alberni-Clayoquot and Cowichan Valley regional districts, as well as an alert from groups including the Tseshaht First Nation. Officials say the fire is within eight kilometres of Port Alberni.

The BC Wildfire Service says an air tanker, helicopters equipped with night vision and structural protection specialists were all deployed overnight to try to slow the blaze’s growth, with the fire displaying rank four and five behaviour, meaning treetops are ablaze.

Crews hope for forecasted rain

“We have our air aviation resources that are out there right now providing support to our ground crews,” explained BC Wildfire Service spokesperson Stefan Hood.

However, some crews were not able to fly much due to strong winds.

“Access is a real challenge. We have got several roads that lead in and out of the area that have been impacted by the fire.”

He says that crews need to prioritize resources to accurately track the perimeter of the fire.

The BC Wildfire Service now hopes for the forecasted rain to provide relief. Thirty millimetres is forecasted for Friday.

“Temperatures are dropping, the relative humidity is increasing, and hopefully all of this is coming to a rain event that should help us,” Hood said.

“It’s not going to put out the fire, but it should help us in terms of limiting fire growth.”

BC Wildfire Service Fire Information Officer Karley Desrosiers said the primary focus is the northwest, but crews have begun to work down the east edge.

Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District firefighters have said the rain may improve local air quality, but it is hard to say for certain.

The west central region, as well as parts of Vancouver Island’s east coast and the Sunshine coast region on the B.C. mainland, are under air quality statements.

“As is stands right now, we are certainly well resourced for the work we have to do,” Desrosiers said.

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Residents should have a plan in place

The community of Bamfield southwest of Port Alberni has lost power due to the fire, and its main road link to Port Alberni has also been shut since the fire began, with its cause unknown. BC Hydro says those homes could be without power for up to another week.

“City staff will be handing out notices to areas in our community where there might be debris, tall grass, anything else that could be a fire hazard or concern,” said Port Alberni Mayor Sharie Minions.

She reminds the residents of her city and the surrounding communities to always have a plan in place and be prepared to evacuate.

“We want our residents to always be prepared, and certainly, there is no better time than now to make sure that you are prepared, that you have a plan in place,” said Port Alberni Mayor Sharie Minions.”

Parks Canada says it is starting to limit visits to the 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.

One Port Alberni resident, Holger Konarski, says the city has been covered in thick smoke since the Mount Underwood fire started.

“Right now, we have got ash coming down as well, and it’s starting to drizzle a little bit, which is not going to do anything,” he said in an interview with 1130 NewsRadio.

Konarski says despite evacuation alerts being in place for some parts of the city, he doesn’t believe most people are worried about having to leave.

“We still have an active fire going on Wesley Ridge just by Cameron Lake, which is our other way out of town,” he explained.

“But the wind has been the biggest problem here,” he added.

Videos on social media shows the fire burning vigorously along a mountain slope, bellowing thick plumes of smoke while helicopters bucket the blaze.

The heavy smoke is highly visibly in nearby communities — most notably Texada Island and Powell River.

The number of active fires in British Columbia has grown to 88, including six burning out of control.