Smoke billows above Port Alberni, with the expanding Mount Underwood wildfire ever-present south of the city. (Dashwood Volunteer Fire Department)

By Ian Holmes

wildfire update

VIDEO: Alberni Valley wildfire expands, crews encouraged by weather shift

Aug 14, 2025 | 2:22 PM

PORT ALBERNI — Strong winds pushed B.C.’s most notable wildfire closer to Port Alberni’s southern fringes, but help from more favourable weather appears imminent.

An update on the morning of Thursday, Aug, 14, on the Mount Underwood fire, centered about 12 kilometres south of Port Alberni, documented the fire’s growth over the prior 24 hours.

Re-mapped from about 2,150 hectares to around 3,400 hectares (34 square kilometres) as of mid-day Thursday, the blaze advanced further to the northeast due to strong Wednesday afternoon winds, according to BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) incident commander, Stefan Hood.

Stefan Hood (L) addresses reporters in Port Alberni on Thursday, Aug. 14, with mayor Sharie Minions to his immediate left. (David Wiwchar/93.3 FM The Peak)

He said winds are expected to ease, while dropping temperatures, rising humidity and looming rains are expected.

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“It’s not going to put out the fire, but it should help us in limiting fire growth,” Hood said in reference to the expected rain during a Port Alberni news conference.

Despite more favourable weather, the fire will remain quite active due to the persistent drought in the area, a BCWS operational update stated.

Anticipated to begin falling late Thursday afternoon in the vicinity of the Mount Underwood fire, precipitation of between 15 and 40 millimetres is forecast.

Nearly 90 firefighting personnel are battling the fire as of Thursday, including 11 aerial resources and 10 pieces of heavy equipment.

Considered the only fire of note in B.C. and one of five blazes burning out of control, the Mount Underwood fire is being overseen by an incident management team.

Footprint of the Mount Underwood fire as of the afternoon of Thursday, Aug. 21. (BCWS)

Several evacuation orders and alerts have been issued since the fire was reported on the afternoon of Monday, Aug. 11.

Residents within Port Alberni’s southern edge are among those who’ve been told to be prepared to vacate, with an evacuation alert issued by the City Tuesday evening.

Mayor Sharie Minions referenced several maps being distributed around social media, which have raised anxiety levels.

“We do know that the fire has moved closer to the city of Port Alberni, we knew that was happening, and that was the reason why we issued a state of emergency, and we did issue the formal evacuation alert for the Cameron Heights area,” Minions told the media briefing.

Concerned citizens are being told to remain vigilant and pay attention to alerts from local government sources, the BCWS and reputable media outlets.

“There’s no formal reason for anyone in the community to evacuate, but we do want people to be aware that the situation could change quickly and everybody needs to be prepared possibly for that,” Minions said.

Bamfield Rd. linking Bamfield and Port Alberni remains closed, according to Drive BC.

Updates on the Mount Underwood fire from the BCWS can be found here.

Meanwhile, the Wesley Ridge wildfire, north of Cameron Lake, remains mapped at 588 hectares and is still categorized as “being held.”

Thirty-five properties remain on evacuation order, and 268 properties are on evacuation alert as a result of the Wesley Ridge fire, according to the Regional District of Nanaimo.

– with files from David Wiwchar, 93.3 FM The Peak

Mount Underwood fire as depicted on Monday, Aug. 11 (BCWS)

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