August 14,2025
RED FM News Desk
A fast-spreading wildfire on Vancouver Island has now grown to over 34 square kilometres, with hundreds of properties under evacuation orders and alerts.
The Mount Underwood fire has prompted local states of emergency in nearby Port Alberni, the Tseshaht First Nation, and parts of the Cowichan Valley Regional District. The flames have also cut off electricity and road access to Bamfield.
More than 500 homes and businesses in and around Bamfield have been without power since the fire was detected Monday. BC Hydro crews cannot safely enter the area, so the outage is expected to continue, according to the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District.
Residents can still access Bamfield via logging roads through Youbou, but the Cowichan Regional Emergency Operations Centre says this route should only be used for essential travel.
Environment Canada has expanded air quality advisories as smoke from the wildfire is expected to spread across inland and eastern Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, and the northern Gulf Islands over the next 24 to 48 hours. The Vancouver Island Health Authority advised anyone experiencing coughing, shortness of breath, or chest discomfort due to the smoke to seek medical guidance by calling 811.
Located about 12 kilometres south of Port Alberni, the Mount Underwood fire has grown rapidly, exhibiting what the B.C. Wildfire Service calls “unusual fire behaviour for wildfires on Vancouver Island.”
Karley Desrosiers, a fire information officer with the Coastal Fire Centre, said the fire is not currently threatening Port Alberni, Bamfield, or Youbou. However, dry and windy conditions, combined with steep mountainous terrain, have made containment efforts difficult.
“We are in the midst of a severe drought, and the island has seen very little rain since the end of June,” Desrosiers said Wednesday. Some rain is expected Thursday evening, with 15 to 40 millimetres forecast for the Port Alberni area, according to the wildfire service.
The Mount Underwood fire is burning less than 20 kilometres southwest of the Wesley Ridge fire, which led to the evacuation of several hundred homes on the north side of Cameron Lake, east of Port Alberni.
It is one of roughly 90 active fires across B.C., with six currently classified as out of control.
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