Saturday August 23, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
UPDATE: Power was back on around 5 pm today August 23.
Also see: Rain helps moderate Mount Underwood wildfire (Aug 15) | Mount Underwood wildfire damage to BC Hydro infrastructure could take two weeks to repair (Aug 16) | Mount Underwood Wildfire update on August 19 (Aug 19) | BC Hydro on track for 2-week power restoration after Mount Underwood wildfire damage [Aug 19) | Mount Underwood wildfire now being held after 10 days (Aug 20) | More: Wildfire News section
BC Hydro crews have been making steady progress for days in the work of restoring power to more than 500 customers in Bamfield, the Huu-ay-aht First Nation and Ditidaht First Nation, after the Mount Underwood wildfire caused extensive damage to electrical infrastructure.
Back on around 6 pm Saturday evening:
Today, 12 days after the wildfire was first reported, BC Hydro says they will have power back on by around 6 pm this evening, August 23.
Protect appliances and electronics:
Impacted customers are asked to turn off major appliances and unplug sensitive electronics. That will reduce strain on the system and help protect equipment from potential damage when power returns.
Off since August 11:
Power has been out in the region since August 11, and restoration efforts have been underway since crews were granted access to the affected area on August 16.
The Mount Underwood wildfire was first reported on August 11 and due to rainfall over the past few days may have been adequately contained.
Poles and lines:
Following clearance from BC Wildfire Service on August 15, BC Hydro conducted a full patrol and damage assessment.
Since arriving on site, crews placed new power poles and strung several spans of power line. In addition to installing infrastructure, workers have cleared debris and removed hazardous vegetation to create safe working conditions and facilitate the rebuild.
The inspection confirmed that 56 power poles were destroyed, and approximately 70 spans of power line – covering nearly 20 kilometres – will need to be restrung.
The rebuild spans six kilometres, including two kilometres of rugged terrain characterized by steep forested cliffs and unstable rock, which pose significant challenges to crews working in the area.
Ongoing outage updates:
For ongoing updates on the outage, visit bchydro.com/outages.
===== RELATED:
- Mount Underwood wildfire now being held after 10 days (August 21, 2025)
- Mount Underwood wildfire damage to BC Hydro infrastructure could take two weeks to repair (August 16, 2025)
- Rain helps moderate Mount Underwood wildfire (August 15, 2025)
- Mount Underwood wildfire expands by 1,250 hectares overnight (August 14, 2025)
- Mount Underwood wildfire near Port Alberni is growing quickly (August 13, 2025)
- NEWS SECTIONS: WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT | BC HYDRO | POWER OUTAGES