BC Hydro crews are still working to restore power to a small Vancouver Island community after a wildfire destroyed power poles and line.
The Mount Underwood fire, now mapped at more than 3,600 hectares, knocked out power to more than 500 customers in Bamfield, the Huu-ay-aht First Nation and Ditidaht First Nation on Aug. 11.
BC Hydro crews have been restoring the area since they were granted access on Aug. 16.
The initial inspection confirmed that 56 power poles were destroyed, and approximately 70 spans of power line — covering nearly 20 kilometres — will need to be restrung.
The rebuild spans six kilometres, including two kilometres of rugged terrain characterized by steep forested cliffs and unstable rock, which pose significant challenges to crews working in the area, according to BC Hydro.
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Crews have been able to place 15 new power poles and string 11 spans of power line so far, as well as clear debris and hazardous vegetation.
Given the scale of the damage and the complexity of the terrain, BC Hydro estimated that power would be restored by Aug. 30, but that timeline may change.
The B.C. Wildfire Service said that recent rainfall has helped crews battle the Mount Underwood fire, which is burning south of Port Alberni.
“Today we have 160 personnel working this incident, focused on north and southwest flanks… to ensure this does not spread beyond the current perimeter,” fire information officer Karley Desrosiers said.
The fire is not expected to grow bigger at this time, but smoky skies are expected in the coming days as suppression and bucketing efforts continue.
Two evacuation orders and three evacuation alerts remain in place near the fire but officials said those are being reevaluated all the time.
“We are in a position to be reevaluating the evacuations and alerts and from our perspectives, we make those recommendations that the risk has reduced,” Desrosiers said.
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