China Creek Campground and Marina have reopened and resumed full operations following the Mount Underwood wildfire. 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.
