New resources are on their way for the Mount Underwood Wildfire which has exploded to 1,391 hectares in size and is being considered a fire of note by BC Wildfire. It was discovered in the late afternoon of Aug. 11, the cause has not yet been identified.
Representatives from the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS), Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD) and the City of Port Alberni held an update at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 12 providing information about the out of control fire 12 km south of Port Alberni.
The city does not face a direct threat from the fire, officials stressed.
"We are in the midst of a severe drought. We have had very little rain since the end of June," said 台湾MM裸聊室 Fire Centre information officer Julia Caranci. She said the fire at Mount Underwood is "unprecedented" and unlike most Vancouver Island fires she has seen in the past seven years. In a matter of hours it turned into a Rank 4 or Rank 5 fire, which is a "highly vigorous surface fire with torching or passive crown fire.
"Last night's strong winds blowing up the Alberni Inlet pushed this fire aggressively uphill and this has accounted for the high fire behaviour," Caranci said.
Rain and cooler temperatures are in the forecast but Caranci said it would take significant rainfall to change the conditions and make an impact. The fire is in difficult area for BCWS firefighters to reach because of steep, rugged terrain. There is air support, including five helicopters, five skimmers and one birddog responding to the blaze.
"We are well resourced. We've been very fortunate to be able to use the overnight technology," Caranci said. "Being able to drop buckets on the fire at night is a new technology that's being used by the 台湾MM裸聊室 Fire Centre."
That night vision technology has been used on several fires on the Island so far this summer, including the Wesley Ridge fire. It allows BCWS to attack the fire constantly without needing to stop for the evening, she explained.
(Coulson Aviation has provided one of its Sikorsky S-61 helitankers with night vision technology for both the Wesley Ridge and Mount Underwood fires.)
Bamfield and the surrounding areas including Ditidaht First Nation and the Huu-ay-aht First Nations community of Anacla are without power. The Bamfield Main Road connecting the west coast to Port Alberni is closed.
"We do not expect the closure to be short-term," Caranci said.
People, aside from residents, are being asked to avoid travelling to the Bamfield side of the fire. John Alan Jack, elected chief councillor of the Huu-ay-aht and ACRD board chair said the regional district is working with residents of the area.
"We're working with local communities on making sure that the residents who are trapped on either side of the fire are taken care of," he said. "We do have emergency program volunteers in the Bamfield community as well. The Huu-ay-aht First Nations has dedicated emergency coordination staff and we're monitoring the situation actively."
Jack added this fire is a perfect example of why more routes are needed connecting the west coast to the rest of the Island.
"The west coast needs alternative routes that are supported by the provincial government to make sure that our people are safe," he said, adding it is important for individuals, First Nations and businesses to be able to access the rest of Vancouver Island. "The west coast is valuable. We deserve another route in and out of the Alberni Valley."
A BC Hydro representative told the Alberni Valley News in a separate interview that the fire itself damaged equipment that brings power to west coast communities.
"There's no estimate when power is going to be restored at this time," BC Hydro said. "This is definitely going to be a multi-day event. It may very well be a multi-week event. We don't know at this point."
The spokesperson added BC Hydro doesn't yet know what has been damaged and cannot provide an estimate for when power will be restored once it is safe to send crews to the area the damage was done.
They added outages from wildfires damaging equipment is relatively common. People in Port Alberni do not need to be concerned about power on the city's side of the fire as energy runs from the eastern side of the Island to the city.
While there is no imminent threat to Port Alberni, Mayor Sharie Minions said people should always be prepared for an emergency.
"We have absolutely no reason to panic," Minions said. "This fire is a real reminder of the reasons why we need to be prepared. The Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District does a fantastic job of reminding us all throughout the year that we should have grab-and-go bags."
Minions encouraged people in the area to download the VoyentAlert app to ensure they receive any emergency information from the regional district.
BC Wildfire Service does have "triggers" in place that guide them in knowing when an evacuation should be ordered. If enough triggers are reached they would recommend evacuation alerts or orders to communities.
The approximately 50 properties evacuated under an ACRD order are commercial, industrial and recreational. None are residential, ACRD Emergency Operations Centre director Daniel Sailland said.
For more information on the fire, visit .
For road conditions, visit .
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