An aggressive wildfire detected Monday night has forced up to 300 people to flee a campground near Port Alberni, B.C.

The China Creek Campground and Marina southwest of the Vancouver Island city was evacuated due to the Mount Underwood fire , which grew quickly from around 50 hectares in size around 7 p.m. to 150 hectares by 9 p.m. Around 10 p.m., it had ballooned in size even further to 630 hectares.

In an update late Monday night, the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) said the blaze was displaying Rank 4 and Rank 5 fire behaviour — meaning it was an extremely vigorous surface fire and burning to the tops of trees.

Officials say the Bamfield Main Road is closed between Port Alberni and Bamfield as they investigate the cause of the fire.

The Mount Underwood wildfire near the China Cre

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