128-year-old mystery shipwreck scorched by fire on Vancouver Island

Andrew Kurjata · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 15, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

For astatine slightest 128 years, a mysterious shipwreck has sat connected the southwest enactment of Vancouver Island successful Ucluelet, B.C., astir 170 kilometres northwest of Victoria.

And present officials are investigating different mystery: who oregon what is liable for a caller occurrence that scorched the long-standing attraction?

"A batch of radical successful municipality are truly upset that a portion of our past has been destroyed," said Ucluelet fire main Rick Geddes, who was retired of municipality erstwhile the occurrence happened.

Deputy occurrence chief Markus McRurie told CHEK News crews responded Tuesday greeting astatine about 5 a.m. — to what was primitively reported arsenic a brushwood occurrence — erstwhile they recovered the landmark connected fire.

It took astir an hour to enactment it out, helium said. RCMP person said they are not investigating.

Wreck portion of the 'Graveyard of the Pacific'

Ucluelet sits successful a portion of the Pacific Northwest known arsenic the "Graveyard of the Pacific," a portion stretching astir from the Oregon Coast successful the United States northward to the westbound seashore of Vancouver Island.

According to Oregon State Parks, approximately 2,000 vessels person sunk successful the country since 1792 owed to the treacherous terrain and hard navigational obstacles, though conscionable a fistful are inactive visible.

According to an informational plaque astatine the wreck site, the "Big Beach Mystery Shipwreck" was reported arsenic aboriginal arsenic 1896. 

Though its nonstop origins are mislaid to time, the plaque placed by the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust and Ucluelet Wild Pacific Trail Society says researchers estimation the vessel was built determination connected the northwest seashore of Americas successful the mid-to-late 1800s and serves arsenic an important portion of determination history.

'A spot of a punch'

For section resident Geoff Johnson, who posts photos and videos of the portion nether the sanction "Ukee Tube," the wreck has been a regular diagnostic of his contented connected societal media and seeing it scorched was difficult.

"It is benignant of a character," helium told CBC On the Island host Gregor Craigie. "It's ended up successful countless wedding photos and grad photos and things implicit the years. I adjacent changeable a small euphony video connected it."

Johnson said the wreck has not been wholly destroyed and it was already being overtaken by clip and vegetation, but it is intelligibly scorched from a occurrence that helium suspects was either started straight beneath oregon wrong of the boat.

"It's decidedly not arsenic elegant arsenic it erstwhile was, that's for sure," helium said. "It's a spot of a punch."

Geddes said it's not uncommon for radical to person bonfires at the beach, which is allowed, but it's important radical support them nether power and guarantee they are enactment retired erstwhile they leave.

He's not definite that's what was liable for the pain astatine the boat, but said it serves arsenic a bully reminder of wherefore it's important to support campfires nether control.

Johnson said with the precocious occurrence hazard crossed B.C., and radical losing their homes, the burned shipwreck whitethorn not beryllium arsenic important, but helium hopes it makes radical deliberation about the risks human-caused fires tin pose.

"It's grounding me, for sure," helium said.