A Port Alberni man has captured a heartbreaking picture of a black bear trying to escape a 400-hectare wildfire burning on Dog Mountain.
Steve Kendall said he was boating on Sproat Lake with his father at around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday when he saw the bear.
It had made its way to the lakeshore trying to escape flames burning just metres away.
Kendall estimated the bear to be about four years old.
The wildfire has growing dramatically in recent days, hitting 400 hectares in size of Thursday.
One uninhabited cabin has been destroyed by the fire, and others have been placed on evacuation order while crews try to contain it.
The iconic Martin Mars water bomber, which has sat idle on the shore of Sproat Lake as its owner worked out a contract with the B.C. government, will likely be used to fight the wildfire starting Saturday.
The fire is believed to be human-caused.
