B.C. provincial park evacuated, RCMP appeal for info on Squamish wildfire

CBC

20 hours ago

The mayor of Squamish, B.C., said he knew it was a stressful time for residents, as an out-of-control wildfire burns in hills above the community where a local state of emergency was declared this week.
But Armand Hurford said crews are making good progress and the community about 50 kilometres north of Vancouver is not in immediate danger.
"It's alarming language, [but] it's an important tool," he said of the emergency declaration at a briefing on Thursday.
"The town is functioning. Kids are going to school, the buses are running on time, the cafés are busy, and this isn't a situation at this time where the town at large is in danger."
The Dryden Creek fire was just five hectares in size on Tuesday when the District of Squamish declared the emergency. It had reached 59 hectares by Thursday, nearly tripling in size from the day before when it got within about 40 metres of homes.
Aaron Foote, the chief of Squamish Fire Rescue, said at Thursday's briefing that crews had been installing structural protection on homes closest to the wildfire, but the fight had "gone very favourably overnight."
He said command of the fire fight would be transferred from his department to the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) in the days ahead.
The district said the BCWS and Squamish Fire Rescue had recommended the closure of Alice Lake Provincial Park and an evacuation order was issued.
In a statement to CBC News, B.C. Parks said staff helped more than 80 camping parties leave the park following the closure.
The district said in a social media post late Wednesday that the fire was not actively threatening park facilities but was growing toward access routes and the smoke had resulted in reduced visibility.
The district later said visibility had improved, allowing helicopters to begin bucketing Thursday morning.
The Squamish Nation said in a post that it had removed all valuable items from the Alice Lake long house as a precautionary measure.
The BCWS said the fire is suspected to be human caused, which led to a police investigation and a Squamish RCMP appeal for information.
The Mounties said in a news release that they were informed of smoke on the hillside at the end of Tantalus Road on Monday around 5:30 p.m.
But they say it is believed to have been started around 4 p.m. that day on a bike trail, so officers are asking anyone with information about the fire to contact police.
The Squamish fire is one of about 100 wildfires burning throughout B.C., most of which are in the province's northeast.