Last year began under a cloud of smoke for residents of Telegraph Cove on northern Vancouver Island. Since the fire on December 31, 2024 the small boardwalk community has been hard at work to restore itself and replace the iconic, historic buildings lost in the blaze.
Marilyn Graham owns the Telegraph Cove Resort with her husband Gordie. She says, “We’ve worried about fire here for many years. We have strict regulations of no smoking on the boardwalk and we are careful of where we’re selling gas. It’s been a big worry.”
When Marilyn saw the fire from her kitchen window, she was in disbelief. “It was sort of like watching Rome, you know?”
It’s been a year since the fire and the rebuild is well underway. This summer the cove was able to open, but not without stark changes. About three-quarters of the boardwalk was rebuilt by July. Construction paused so visitors could appreciate unobstructed views across Johnstone Strait.
The dock was completed on December 12, 2025.Don and Denise Bastion run a gallery just up the hill. They said the tone of the Cove has shifted since the fire—a grief almost like losing a family member—but tourists keep coming, and their support for the Cove is unwavering.
“There was a lot of people coming in trying to be supportive. Whether they went down and bought a coffee—they didn’t want a coffee they just bought it to support,” said Denise. “And that happened all summer long.”
By mid-November, the construction barge had returned to the Cove. At the time of writing, the dock is nearly finished and soon a team of carpenters from Nanaimo will move into empty guest cabins to rebuild the pub and Interpretive Centre buildings. The Grahams say everything is set to open May 1.
Gordie Graham hoped the rebuild would be quick after finding many of the boardwalk’s supports had undamaged foundations. But building in 2025 means adhering to regulations that weren’t necessary the first time around. Those supports, placed 10-by-10 feet apart, don’t fit today’s eight-by-eight-foot standard.
On December 12, Gordie Graham helped lay the honourary, last piling for the new boardwalk.“The Interpretive Centre didn’t have any insulation in the floor and the girls were really cold, and it didn’t have any washrooms. It’ll have all of that when it’s rebuilt. So it’s going to be beautiful,” says Marilyn.
The rebuild is mainly covered by insurance, but the broader community has stepped up to help raise funds. A GoFundMe for Telegraph Cove has reached $61,276 in donations from people all over the world. And the Longwood Brewery in Nanaimo sells The Telegraph Cove Project Pale Ale that donates $1 from every four-pack to The Whale Interpretive Centre and Telegraph Cove Resort.
The Grahams had looked to sell the Cove before the fire and enjoy retirement. Now, they feel responsible to ensure what is built honours the Cove’s history. When that’s done, they’ll consider who will best look after what they built.
Until then, it’s more planning for summer 2026. “We’re going to be positive about it,” says Marilyn. “It’s going to be the year we wrap it up.”