Rain is expected in the region late Thursday, but the wildfire service says it would have to be ‘significant’ to help quell the fire

Recent rainfall has helped slow the growth of the Mount Underwood wildfire near Port Alberni, though the fire has moved closer to the community since it first started.

The wildfire set off the evacuation of the China Creek Campground and Marina, which has 250 tent and RV campsites and is about 15 kilometres southwest of Port Alberni. The service says the highway between Port Alberni and Bamfield has been closed due to the fire.

PORT ALBERNI - The wildfire that has triggered evacuation orders and alerts on south-central Vancouver Island is billowing smoke that has prompted Environment Canada to expand an air quality advisory

As crews continue to battle the nearby Mount Underwood wildfire, Port Alberni staff will be out on Thursday issuing notices to properties with fire hazards.

Dozens of rural properties are under an evacuation order and a local state of emergency has been declared in response to a fast-moving wildfire in Port Alberni.

The Mount Underwood fire reached 2,156 hectares on Thursday, and is located more than 10 kilometres south of Port Alberni, B.C., a small city home to about 19,000 people.

Three people have died in Port Alberni, B.C., within a nine-day period in early August, under circumstances RCMP are investigating as suspicious.