PORT ALBERNI, BC — It’s been almost a year since Mount Underwood erupted south of Port Alberni, quickly spreading across a bone-dry slope to become the largest wildfire the area has seen in over a century. While this forest fire season has been relatively mild by comparison, some residents are questioning if slash left over from past logging fueled the rapid growth of the blaze in August 2025. …“BC Wildfire Service described that behaviour as ‘explosive’,” stated the alliance. “We are concerned that the fire’s behaviour and size were the direct and foreseeable result of fuel hazard conditions created by rapid logging and establishment of conifer plantations.” …With an investigation still underway, the BC Wildfire Service has not disclosed what caused Mount Underwood. But Mosaic believes that “preliminary information suggests it was caused by human activity.” “There were no active forestry operations in the area at the time the fire started,” stated Mosaic.