Home / Disasters and Accidents / Rain Arrives to Aid Firefighters Battling Vancouver Island Wildfire
Rain Arrives to Aid Firefighters Battling Vancouver Island Wildfire
15 Aug
Summary
- Wildfire south of Port Alberni covers over 3,400 hectares
- Rain forecast for the area could help contain the blaze
- 83 wildfires burning across British Columbia, 6 out of control
As of August 15th, 2025, a significant wildfire has been burning on Vancouver Island for several days, prompting evacuations and causing power outages in the surrounding area. The Mount Underwood wildfire, located south of Port Alberni, B.C., has grown to cover an area of approximately 3,406 hectares (34.06 square kilometers).
Fortunately, the weather forecast is providing some good news for the firefighters battling the blaze. Environment Canada is predicting rain throughout the day on Friday and into the weekend, with the Port Alberni area potentially receiving up to 20 millimeters of precipitation. "We have a favourable forecast, which is really great news," said B.C. Wildfire Service spokesperson Stefan Hood on Thursday.
The arrival of the rain is expected to aid the firefighting efforts, as the province continues to grapple with a total of 83 active wildfires, 6 of which are burning out of control. The majority of these fires, 59 in total, have been caused by lightning, while 16 are human-caused, and the cause of 8 remains undetermined.
In addition to the Mount Underwood fire, smoke from a separate blaze in Washington state is also expected to be visible in the region over the next 24 hours, according to Environment Canada. However, air quality forecasts for Friday show a low risk across the province.
