By David Wiwchar

57% increase in structure fires

PAFD posts another record year

Feb 13, 2026 | 9:47 AM

2025 was another extremely busy year for the Port Alberni Fire Department.

Fire Chief Mike Owens said calls were up 2% from 2024 and only slightly less than the record set two years ago.

“We did see a 2% increase in all of our incidents throughout 2025 relative to 2024, which was 19 incidents shy of our record year which was in 2023,” he said. “We did see quite a significant jump in reports of structure fires in 2025: a 57% increase over 2024, a 1 % decrease in motor vehicle incidents and a 7% increase in medical first responder calls, making that our busiest year to date for first responder calls.”

Owens said firefighters responded to 1972 first responder calls, despite a instituting a decreased level of service for less emergent calls.

The Fire Department will only respond to highest ranked purple and red calls, and not the less urgent orange and yellow calls which will be left to BC Ambulance paramedics.

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There were 72 structure fires last year, and Owens credits their mutual aid partners in Beaver Creek, Cherry Creek and Sproat Lake for reducing the impact and severity of many of those blazes.