‘Devastating loss’: Fire engulfs popular Telegraph Cove boardwalk on Vancouver Island

TELEGRAPH COVE, B.C. — Fire crews on Vancouver Island are warning people to stay away from the community of Telegraph Cove where a massive fire has engulfed a popular boardwalk.

Port McNeill Fire Rescue says in a social media post that the fire was still burning under the structure hours after it erupted, making it difficult to extinguish.

It says onlookers had gathered to watch the blaze on Tuesday morning, hindering crews who needed space to work.

The fire service says teams from the Alert Bay and Hyde Creek fire departments and Port Hardy Fire Rescue were also working on the blaze in the small community about 200 kilometres northwest of Campbell River.

Port McNeill Fire Rescue says the destruction is “a devastating loss to the North Island” and parts of the boardwalk have been lost.

Telegraph Cove, once the site of a salmon cannery, is a popular tourism destination, and a base for whale-watching and bear-watching tours, kayaking, fishing and camping.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 31, 2024.

The Canadian Press