As the Mount Underwood wildfire south of Port Alberni continues to burn out of control, a remote area of the Cowichan Valley Regional District has now been put under an evacuation order.
The area covered by the evacuation is north of Nitinat River Provincial Park, and to the northwest of Cowichan Lake.
Emergency Management Cowichan says the evacuation order for the following locations in Electoral Area F:
Block 1034 Dunsmuir District
Block 1082 Dunsmuir District
Block 1112 Dunsmuir District
Block 1137 Alberni Dunsmuir and Cowichan Lake District
Block 1293 Alberni District, Dunsmuir District and Cowichan Lake District
People must leave the designated area immediately.
The Mount Underwood fire, which was discovered on Monday, has quickly grown to cover nearly 1,400 hectares and has promoted evacuations of areas to the south of Port Alberni.
The Bamfield Main road has been closed, the China Creek Campground evacuated, and there is currently no power in Bamfield.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.