Fire destroys buildings, parts of historic boardwalk in Vancouver Island’s Telegraph Cove

Parts of the historic boardwalk and a number of buildings in Telegraph Cove on Vancouver Island were destroyed by a large fire, Port McNeill Fire Rescue said on Tuesday.

The fire department issued a public safety announcement asking people who were going to the area to watch the fire to stay away as it was hindering the efforts of crews to extinguish it.

“This is a devastating loss to the North Island,” the department wrote on social media.

A photo of the fire shared by the department shows what appears to be a restaurant engulfed in flames. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

Telegraph Cove is a picturesque village with a population of 20 people, located about 200 kilometres northwest of Campbell River. 

The area as it’s known today, featuring multicoloured buildings and homes that sit on the shoreline, was built on an old sawmill town, according to the Telegraph Cove Resort.

A boardwalk stretching about 240 metres was built, the resort said, and the original houses and buildings from the sawmill were restored and are now used to accommodate tourists. 

Telegraph Cove was also home to B.C.’s first whale-watching company, which began operating in 1980, as well as bear-watching tours, kayaking, fishing and camping. It was once the site of a thriving sawmill and salmon cannery.

“This is a huge impact to the entire North Island,” said Port McNeill Mayor James Furney. “Telegraph Cove has been our main tourism draw up here for many years.”

Furney said that Telegraph Cove’s whale-watching tours continued to draw tourists from as far away as Europe and its history as a sawmill and a centre for global humpback whale research made it a unique place.

“It’s been down before. And I’m very hopeful and optimistic that through some luck and some good support, it is able to rebuild because it really is a huge icon,” he said.

Around 9 a.m. PT, the Port McNeill department said the fire was burning under the boardwalk, which was making it difficult for firefighters to extinguish.

It said it was working with other fire departments in the surrounding area. Around 11:30 a.m., the Alert Bay Fire Department said it was moving to clean up hot spots in the area.

Port Hardy Fire Chief Brent Borg was one of the people who were called in to help fight the fire. He said a restaurant, pub and house were among the buildings lost to the blaze.

“Nobody’s there. Like the whole place is shut down for the winter,” he said when asked about a cause for the fire. “So there’s a building maintenance guy there, and the owner is there, and really nobody else there. So they’re kind of dumbfounded.”

The Telegraph Cove Art Gallery said it wasn’t affected by the fire.

Denise Bastian from the gallery said the resort was “devastated” by the fire, which broke out around 5:20 a.m.

“The flames were higher than the trees and the very, very hot, hot fire, some very red glow in the sky,” she said. “All the residents around the resort, a small community here, woke each other up and pulled each other out of bed to make sure everybody was safe.”

Telegraph Cove Resort said in a statement that no guests were on site at the time of the blaze, and the property was closed for the season.

“There is no access to the property, and we kindly request that you do not attempt to enter the property for safety reasons,” it said on its website.

“We are co-operating with local authorities and emergency fire services, who have brought the fire under control and will assess the damage and determine the cause.”

Gordie Graham, who spent decades building the resort up, says he milled lumber for the project himself, transforming the tiny community that was once home to a sawmill and salmon cannery.

But now, much of that creation — founded with his wife Marilyn in 1979 — is gone.

Also lost in the fire was the boardwalk’s educational Whale Interpretive Centre, a museum that housed numerous specimens, including a 20-metre fin whale skeleton.

“This resort isn’t just a business to us — it is our home, our history, and our legacy,” said Graham in a statement issued by the resort. 

“My wife and I are nearing retirement. We are devastated to witness our life’s work, which I milled and built with my own hands, go up in flames. While we are grateful that no one was harmed in the fire, we are experiencing one of our worst nightmares.”

The resort said losses included the Old Saltery Pub, the Killer Whale Café, Wastell Manor heritage house, offices for the Prince of Whales whale-watching business, and staff housing.

David Summers, director of the Mount Waddington Regional District, said the loss of the Whale Interpretive Centre was a tremendous blow. 

“That whale museum, I mean, it was spectacular. It had the skeletons of every kind of whale and sea mammal and sea lion … people come from all over the world to go there,” said Summers.

Summers, 72, said he also has many fond memories of working as a fishing guide in his 20s at Telegraph Cove.

He said the district was hoping for government help to rebuild.