Officials on Vancouver Island say 33 millimetres of rain on Friday helped to curb the flames of the Mount Underwood wildfire, which is burning about 8 kilometres south of Port Alberni, B.C.

The fire is now estimated at around 36 square kilometres, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service, and is still classified as out of control. But officials say the rain reduced it to a mostly smoldering fire.

"The rain did a lot, it minimized fire behaviour. Temporarily, it will minimize fire spread," said incident commander Stefan Hood with the wildfire service.

"But that certainly doesn't mean that the work is done. Really and truly, the work is only just beginning."

The wildfire service says the reprieve from the hot, dry, windy weather from the past few days will give crews better access to the w

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