Power has returned to multiple remote western Vancouver Island communities after the Mount Underwood wildfire damaged equipment on Aug. 11 and blocked the main road access from Port Alberni.
More than 500 BC Hydro customers in the Pacific Rim villages of Bamfield, Ditidaht and Anacla were affected.
Crews have been working since Aug. 16 to clear vegetation, put up 63 new power poles and install 65 spans of power line along a six-kilometre corridor. Those crews were facing difficult terrain but managed to restore power ahead of the initial two-week estimate BC Hydro initially had, according to a BC Hydro spokesperson.
Some of those crew members returned to work from the time off they had taken in order to help get hydro back to the affected communities as quickly as possible.
Power was re-connected on Saturday, Aug. 23, about a week ahead of previous estimates.
While power is restored, BC Hydro noted they put in place a temporary solution as part of the area they need access to is unsafe. Once the it becomes safe, a permanent solution will be put into place.
Bamfield Main Road has been closed since Aug.11 and the ministry of transportation has no timeline on when the crucial road connecting communities on the west coast to Port Alberni will reopen.
The road is managed by several different organizations, including the ministry and 15 kilometres owned by Mosaic Forest Management.
Part of the road that is managed by the forest company Mosaic has become unsafe due to damage from the Mount Underwood wildfire that initially led to the road closure. Potential for rocks and trees to fall along with a slope damaged by the fire have prompted Mosaic to ask for ministry help in getting the road back into travelling condition.
D'Arcy Henderson, Mosaic's chief operating officer, said "multiple" geotechnical engineering surveys have already been done and BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) has determined the road is unsafe for any transit. "Safety remains our top priority in all decisions," Henderson said in a statement.
The wildfire, while being held, is still burning; its perimeter as of the end of the weekend was 3,525 hectares. Once BCWS has cleared Mosaic to access the road, more surveys will be done and the company will work with the ministry to repair the road.
鈥淭here is substantial work necessary over the coming weeks and months ahead to reopen Bamfield Road. Ensuring the safety of the travelling public is the top priority, and the province will continue to provide technical resources and support to Mosaic throughout this process," said Mike Farnworth, minister of transportation and transit in a news release.
For people who live in the Bamfield area, including Ditidaht and Huu-ay-aht communities, the only route to larger communities by land is the Youbou Road through Lake Cowichan. This adds several extra hours and the road's poor condition has caused more than a dozen flat tires among travellers. Those who live on that side of the road closure typically rely on Port Alberni for necessities like medical care.
The ministry of transportation said it will work on making Youbou Road more accessible and safe for the increased number of travellers. Graders were on the road in the past couple of weeks in an effort to improve conditions on the logging road.
鈥淲e acknowledge and appreciate the primacy of safety that Mosaic has always held close as a core value, and we also want to underline the level of co-operation and communication that they have demonstrated throughout this whole emergency situation,鈥� said John Jack, Chief Councillor of Huu-ay-aht First Nations, and chair of the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District. 鈥淲hile the situation itself is packed with challenges, we look forward to surmounting them with partners such as Mosaic and the provincial government.鈥�
Prior to the good news of power being restored, Bamfield had laready announced it was welcoming visitors again after a brief hiatus to manage the community's stress of reduced services.
Power company crews who went to the site had to take the Youbou Road route, adding extra hours to the journey due to the road's condition.
"We know how difficult this outage has been for our customers and we truly appreciate their patience, understanding and support as we worked to restore power as quickly and safely as possible," said Ted Olynyk, BC Hydro's Vancouver Island community relations manager.
Meanwhile, closer to Port Alberni, the China Creek Campground and Marina have reopened and resumed full operations. The campground was evacuated on Aug. 11 shortly after the wildfire was discovered.
The campground's reopening means that Franklin River Road has reopened in certain areas. The road remains closed beyond the junction with Cameron Main and Bamfield Main Roads due to danger from wildfire damage and slope instability.
"We didn't really have a warning," seasonal attendant Graydon Homan told the Scoop on Port Alberni about circumstances leading to the evacuation. "The smoke, we saw it come up and we got the call to evacuate everybody." Homan and Olivia Gentleman, another seasonal attendant at the campground, have both received training on what to do in emergencies such as wildfires.
In a social media post prior to the campground's reopening, Port Alberni Port Authority staff posted: "We are very proud of our team for how they handled the campground evacuation, and are deeply grateful to BC Wildfire Service responders and our community for coming together in this emergency."
There was no damage to the campground, access road or any property.
"Our team at China Creek Campground did an amazing job, and our guests did too," Port Alberni Port Authority co-CEO Zoran Knezevic said in an interview with the Scoop. "They really evacuated without panic and were efficient."
The campground and marina were placed under an Evacuation Order by the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District for the first week of the wildfire, which burned at a Rank 4 or Rank 5, spreading quickly from 50 to 630 to nearly 3,800 hectares in less than 72 hours. As of Aug. 24 the fire is considered "being held," which means it is not expected to grow beyond the boundaries of the fire perimeter. The fire is approximately 3,525 hectares.
China Creek was downgraded on Aug. 20 to an evacuation alert, although China Creek Trails continue to be under an evacuation order. No one is to be within the evacuation order area.
Crews with BC Wildfire bunked in the cabins on the water at the campground as well as at the guesthouse as they continued to work on the wildfire. The BCWS structure defence unit protected buildings and other structures at the campground with a system of sprinklers.
The Mount Underwood fire is now classified as being held and is not expected to grow beyond its current perimeter.
鈥� with a file from Susie Quinn
