Rain has arrived on Vancouver Island, where an out of control wildfire has been burning for several days.
The Mount Underwood wildfire, south of Port Alberni, B.C., covers about 34.06 square kilometres (3,406 hectares), according to the B.C. Wildfire Service’s latest information Friday morning. It has forced evacuations, prompted local states of emergency and caused power outages throughout the area since it was discovered on Monday.
Environment Canada is forecasting rain all day Friday and into the weekend in the area, which could aid firefighters battling the blaze. The area around Port Alberni could get up to 20 millimetres on Friday, the weather agency says.
“We have a favourable forecast, which is really great news,” B.C. Wildfire Service spokesperson Stefan Hood said Thursday.
A special air quality statement remains in effect for eastern and inland Vancouver Island, as well as the Sunshine Coast from Saltery Bay to Powell River, as smoke from the Mount Underwood fire is expected to be visible through the next 24 hours, Environment Canada says.
Smoke from a fire in Washington state is also expected to blow up as far as Harrison Lake, the agency says.
However, air quality forecasts for Friday show a low risk across the province.
As of Friday morning, there are 83 wildfires burning across the province. Of those, six fires are burning out of control.
A total of 59 of the wildfires throughout B.C. have been caused by lightning, 16 are human-caused and in eight cases, the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
