Wildfire Rages Near Port Alberni — A Mountain on Fire, A Community on Edge

By: Oluwaseun M. Lawal

It’s chaos out west. A wildfire’s swallowing up Mount Underwood, right above the city of Port Alberni in British Columbia. Nearly 20,000 people are on high alert. Smoke chokes the sky. The fire’s out of control. No one knows yet if the city itself will have to evacuate.

Russ Wetas, 69, has lived here since ’56. He says, “This is one of the biggest fires we’ve ever seen.” And that’s saying something. The fire service warns it’s still spreading, creeping closer every hour.

But it’s not just BC feeling the heat. On the other side of Canada, St. John’s in Newfoundland and Labrador is under evacuation orders. Halifax, Nova Scotia, is battling flames too. Wildfires are everywhere—more than 700 burning across the country, with 161 out of control.

This year’s wildfire season is already the second worst on record. Over 7.4 million hectares scorched—almost the size of Panama. It’s a staggering number, but still less than the record-breaking 17.3 million hectares in 2023. That year shocked the world, showing just how climate change is fueling these disasters.

Smoke from the fires has blanketed huge parts of Canada and the US, even drifting across the Atlantic to Europe. It’s a grim reminder: these fires aren’t just local—they’re global.

On Vancouver Island, where Mount Underwood burns, this kind of fire is new. John Jack, a First Nations chief, told CBC, “This is a fire that hasn’t been seen on Vancouver Island.” Ted Hagard, a local paper mill worker, watched the blaze grow on social media but had to see it himself. “It’s insane how huge it is,” he said, standing by a nearby lake.

Experts blame climate change—hotter temps, less snow, shorter winters—making conditions perfect for fires. And sadly, this might just be the new normal.