A raging wildfire that has prompted a state of local emergency and forced evacuations on south-central Vancouver Island has grown to span more than 20 square kilometres as it displays some of the most severe kinds of fire behaviour.
The British Columbia Wildfire Service says the blaze, located about 12 kilometres south of Port Alberni, is burning at rank four and five on a six-point scale, meaning "extremely vigorous" flames are consuming trees from trunk to canopy.
Videos posted on social media show the Mount Underwood wildfire lighting up a slope and billowing thick plumes of smoke, while helicopters dump water on the flames.
The fire discovered on Monday has spurred the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, City of Port Alberni and Tseshaht First Nation to declare states of local emergency.
The regional district has 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.
The main road linking the two communities is closed and Bamfield has lost power, with the wildfire service telling anyone who doesn't live there to stay away.
The service says an initial attack crew, structural protection specialists, an air tanker and helicopters equipped with night-vision technology responded to the fire overnight, and an incident management team is on its way.
The heavy smoke is highly visible, with Environment Canada issuing an air quality statement for inland Vancouver Island, saying it could persist for a few days.
The Mount Underwood blaze 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.
The latest bulletin from the wildfire service says a "weak cold front" would move southeast across the province on Wednesday, bringing isolated thunderstorms and strong winds to eastern parts of the central and southern Interior.
But it says little rain was expected, and much of the southern Interior would remain hot, dry, and windy — conditions that could increase fire behaviour.
Early-evening showers are in the forecast for the coast on Thursday, with patchy rain moving into sections of the Interior, and lightning possible in parts of eastern B.C.
The service says temperatures on Vancouver Island would begin to drop, and by Friday a low-pressure system would bring rain to the drought-stricken region.
The Mount Underwood blaze is currently B.C.'s only wildfire of note.
It's one of seven fires classified as burning out of control.
There were about 90 active wildfires in B.C. on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2025.
Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press
