(Port Alberni) The forest fire which led to evacuation orders and alerts in the South Center of the island of Vancouver extended to more than 34 square kilometers, about 58 % more than the day before.
The British Columbia Forest Fire Service indicates that the announced area of the Mont Underwood fire, 12 kilometers south of Port Alberni, could change once the teams will be able to observe it better, either by helicopter or from the ground. These two observation methods are currently limited due to the thick smoke produced by the fire.
Faced with this smoke screen, Environment Canada has extended its opinion on air quality north of the Gulf Islands and Sunshine Coast. An agency bulletin indicates that smoke will be more intense in the east of the island of Vancouver, on Texada Island and Powell River, on the Sunshine Coast.
An update of the British Columbia Forest Fire Service indicates that the teams working on the fire during the night found that fire behaved “moderately”, while cooler temperatures and higher humidity arrived in the region.
“Southwest winds are expected today, with winds from 8 to 15 km/h and bursts of up to 20 km/h,” said the bulletin published Thursday. “This will continue to spread the fire to the northeast. »»
Rain should fall on the region on Thursday evening, with precipitation planned from 15 to 40 mm for the fire area, which covers more than 20 square kilometers.
The forest fire fighting service claims that humidity will facilitate the efforts of firefighters, but that precipitation must be important to have a significant long -term impact, given the persistent drought that rages on the island of Vancouver.
In a video published by the Service Wednesday evening, the Ben Boghean fire behavior analyst said that the steep field, the major challenge facing firefighters is the expected change in the expected wind with the arrival of cooler time.
“This means that we what was the back of the fire will now become his head,” said Boghean. There are many more fuels available to be pushed by flames, which can move north and northeast ”.
“No matter the amount of rain, due to drought, our fire will pass on these large logs, which are heavier fuels, and it will be more difficult to turn it off,” he summed up.
The firefighter service also indicated that the teams were trying to build a barrier on the northern flank of the fire, to turn off the flames that cross the main road between Port Alberni and Bamfield, and to secure access to the firefighters on the western flank of the fire.
Breakdowns and evacuations
Shortly after the fire was discovered on Monday, the Bamfield community was deprived of electricity and the main road connecting it to Port Alberni remains closed.
The Alberni-Clayoquot regional district said in a message published on its Facebook page for emergency operations that the breakdown should continue, because BC Hydro staff could not access the fire zone as long as it was not tried.
The authorities ask people who do not reside in Bamfield not to go to the community in order to avoid any unnecessary trip to this prized crossroads of hikers from the Côte-Ouest trail.
This fire is one of the 90 active fires in British Columbia, less than 10 of which are classified as out of control.
Port Alberni had a smoky sky on Thursday, according to the regional district.
“We would like to remind the population that, even if there is smoke in Port Alberni, this does not necessarily mean that the fire is getting closer to the city,” he said.
The state of emergency was declared by the regional district of Alberni-Clayoquot, the city of Port Alberni and the Tseshaht First Nation in the face of rapid fire spread this week.
Evacuation orders have been given around certain areas affected by the fire, especially for the properties located east of Alberni Inlet.
Alerts are also in force for a Tseshaht reserve and properties located at the southwest end of Port Alberni, where residents may be invited to evacuate quickly.
The British Columbia Forest Fire Service said on Wednesday that the fire did not threaten the communities of Port Alberni, Bamfield or Youbou.
