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Officials on Vancouver Island say 33 millimetres of rain on Friday helped to curb the flames of the Mount Underwood wildfire, which is burning about 8 kilometres south of Port Alberni, B.C.
The fire is now estimated at around 36 square kilometres, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service, and is still classified as out of control. But officials say the rain reduced it to a mostly smoldering fire.
“The rain did a lot, it minimized fire behaviour. Temporarily, it will minimize fire spread,” said incident commander Stefan Hood with the wildfire service.
“But that certainly doesn’t mean that the work is done. Really and truly, the work is only just beginning.”
The wildfire service says the reprieve from the hot, dry, windy weather from the past few days will give crews better access to the wildfire and allow them to focus on its perimeter to keep it from spreading any closer to the City of Port Alberni, where residents have been on edge the past few days monitoring the flames.
Port Alberni Mayor Sharie Minions and officials with the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD) say all evacuation orders and alerts are still in place, including the order for the China Creek campground and the alert for parts of the Cameron Heights neighbourhood on the southern edge of the city.
“We have reason for hope, but people should still be prepared because we don’t know everything that could occur,” said John Jack, the district’s chair and the elected chief councillor for the Huu-ay-aht First Nations.
Crews working to restore power
The power went out in Bamfield, the Huu-ay-aht First Nation and the Ditidaht First Nation on Monday, the night the fire started, and was still out as of Saturday afternoon.
On Saturday, B.C. Hydro began the work to restore power to its 500 customers in the area, but said full repairs could take up to two weeks. The provincial power provider said the work will include replacing 56 power poles and 70 spans of power line – roughly 20 kilometres in total.
“The rebuild will cover six kilometres, including two kilometres of particularly difficult terrain marked by steep, forested cliffs and unstable rock,” B.C. Hydro said in a written statement.
“Given the scale of the damage and the challenging terrain, B.C. Hydro estimates that power restoration could take up to two weeks.”
Local officials said they were working to set up hot shower and laundry facilities for those who need it.
Bamfield Marine Science Centre director Sean Rogers told Radio-Canada told Radio-Canada that the centre is well equipped to provide those services, and made some of its shower and laundry facilities available to the public as of Saturday.
“[We’re] working with the ACRD and the Huu-ay-aht First Nation to establish what’s needed next,” Rogers said, adding that many of the centre’s staff live in the community.
An out-of-control fire south of Port Alberni has grown to more than 34 square kilometres. The Mount Underwood wildfire was discovered on Monday and doubled in size in 24 hours. The B.C. Wildfire Service describes the blaze as aggressive and explosive and says the rapid growth is due to a severe drought.
The main road between Port Alberni and Bamfield is closed due to the fire, but a secondary route to Youbou in the Cowichan Valley is available for essential travel only.
Some businesses in Bamfield have expressed concern that the situation will diminish their income during the busy tourist season, which sustains many business owners for the rest of the year.
During the media briefing on Saturday, Mayor Minions addressed business owners in Port Alberni who had expressed similar concerns.
“We are aware of your struggles, we are advocating to the provincial government for resources into the community,” she said.
Air quality improves
Wildfire officials said air quality was a great concern in the past few days but as of Saturday, air quality throughout the mid-island region had greatly improved.
“Driving into Port Alberni this morning I was on the phone with my mother and I painted a picture for her that I saw a beautiful rainbow over the inlet and the mountains and the clouds, and the sun poking through,” said Hood.
Two clean air centres are still open to the public in Port Alberni as a precaution.
“Right here in Port Alberni it’s quite a lovely day,” he said.
As of noon on Saturday, Environment Canada had rescinded the low air quality statements that had previously been issued across the region.
