BC Hydro said restoration work will take up to two weeks after an out-of-control wildfire, which is burning south of Port Alberni, B.C., left hundreds of residents in the nearby communities without power since Monday.
Firefighters on Vancouver Island say a “significant” amount of rainfall has helped crews to make progress in battling the Mount Underwood wildfire, which has prompted three evacuation alerts and two orders.
The BC Wildfire Service said that crews are seeing improvement on the Mount Underwood wildfire after the area has received more than 30 millimetres of rain since Thursday, leading to minimal fire growth over the past 24 hours.
Kiah Allen, operations chief on the Mount Underwood wildfire from the Coastal Fire Centre, said in an operational update on Friday that the next three days will allow crews to make good progress as they are seeing relief in the weather.
Allen said her crews have been taking advantage of the cooler weather to do assessments and secure the perimeter before the weather becomes hot and dry again.
The Mount Underwood wildfire is currently measured at 36.68 square kilometres in size, and about 19 pieces of heavy equipment and 168 firefighters are working to control the blaze.
The Alberni Clayoquot Regional District, located on Vancouver Island, said in a post on Saturday that crews have been focusing efforts on the north and northwest portions of the fire, hoping to further contain areas closest to the City of Port Alberni.
