A raging wildfire that has forced evacuations on south-central Vancouver Island has been burning at some of most severe levels of fire behaviour, a display that is "unusual" for the region, the British Columbia Wildfire Service said.
An update posted by the service said the blaze, located about 12 kilometres south of Port Alberni, has been burning at rank four and five on a six-point scale.
"This is a highly vigorous surface fire with torching or passive crown fire and some active crown fire," the service said in an update on Wednesday.
"This is unusual fire behaviour for wildfires on Vancouver Island."
The Mount Underwood fire was discovered Monday afternoon and has since grown to more than 20 square kilometres.
Photographer and videographer Colby Rex O'Neill, who lives east of Port Alberni, said he had been preparing to shoot the expected meteor shower Monday night and instead headed out to capture images of the fast-growing wildfire.
"The entire mountain was completely engulfed in less than 30 hours, so just like, ravaging, explosive fire," he said in an interview on Wednesday.
"Trees were basically combusting, I hear that is how fir trees work, though. They have a high resistance until they kind of give up and then explode and release their sap. So you'd see, kind of looking like a candle going off in the distance."
The fire was blanketing the area with thick smoke, Rex O'Neill said.
The update from the wildfire service said much of Vancouver Island is experiencing a "severe drought," with very little rain since the end of June.
"Also, strong winds flowing up the Alberni Inlet pushed this fire aggressively uphill, and this accounted for the high fire behaviour we have seen," it said.
The update from the wildfire service on Wednesday said the blaze was "not currently a threat to either Port Alberni, Bamfield or Youbou."
Still, it has spurred the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, City of Port Alberni and Tseshaht First Nation to declare states of local emergency.
The regional district ordered the evacuation of an area on the east side of the Alberni Inlet, between Port Alberni and Bamfield, while the Cowichan Valley Regional District has issued a separate order for an adjacent area.
An evacuation alert is also in effect for a Tseshaht reserve and properties at the southwest end of Port Alberni, with residents told to be ready to leave quickly.
The main road linking Port Alberni and Bamfield is closed, though the district said an alternate route, which includes logging roads, was available through Youbou.
Bamfield has lost power, with the wildfire service telling anyone who doesn't live there to stay away from the community of about 200 residents.
"We don't want any additional pressures to the community by having extra people trying to get there, either by road or by trails," it said in Wednesday's update.
Bamfield is a frequent stop for people hiking the 75-kilometre West Coast Trail, which has an entry or exit point at Pachena Bay, about 5 1/2 kilometres away.
A statement from Parks Canada on Wednesday said the fire isn’t affecting the trail and it remains open, although communities that support hikers are asking visitors to delay all non-essential travel until the situation stabilizes.Â
It said no new reservations for the trail or Keeha Beach are being taken, and hikers could be asked to leave the trail at Nitinaht Narrows, about the midway point of the hike, where they would be taken by bus to retrieve their vehicles.Â
The China Creek Regional Park was evacuated late Monday, and the wildfire service said structure protection work had been completed for that site along with private campgrounds, forestry mills and log-sorting facilities in the area.
It said the fire showed minimal growth Tuesday night, with "effective" actions by helicopters.
The wildfire service said some gradual growth to the east was expected Thursday and Friday, driven by winds, heat and challenging terrain.
"Starting Friday, we do expect conditions to cool down and some rain is expected, which will assist our response efforts," the service said.
"However, it will take significant rain to have a meaningful impact."
An incident management team was moving into place Wednesday to take command of both the Mount Underwood fire and another in the region.
There were three initial attack and three unit crews responding to the blaze on Wednesday, along with five helicopters and other aircraft, the wildfire service said.
The service also noted a drone was reportedly flying in the area on Tuesday.
"This type of activity is extremely dangerous and poses a significant safety risk to personnel, especially when low-flying firefighting aircraft are present," it said.
The Mount Underwood fire is burning about 19 kilometres southwest of the Westley Ridge fire, which had forced the evacuation of several hundred homes on the north side of Cameron Lake, about 60 kilometres northwest of Nanaimo.
Some properties in the Little Qualicum Village area remain under evacuation order.
A provincial situation report from the wildfire service said a "weak cold front" would move southeast across B.C. on Wednesday, bringing isolated thunderstorms and strong winds to eastern parts of the central and southern Interior.
But it said little rain was expected, and much of the southern Interior would remain hot, dry, and windy — conditions that could increase fire behaviour.
The Mount Underwood blaze is currently B.C.'s only wildfire of note.
It's one of just under 10 fires classified as burning out of control.
There were about 90 active wildfires in B.C. on Wednesday.
This report by ºÃÉ«tvwas first published Aug. 13, 2025.
