Squamish wildfire fight helped by cooler weather, but emergency remains
Officials say a wildfire near Squamish, B.C., which forced the evacuation of the nearby Alice Lake Provincial Park and triggered a local state of emergency earlier this week appears to have stabilized after help from cool, cloudy weather conditions.
The District of Squamish says the Dryden Creek wildfire has held steady at 0.6 square kilometres in size since Friday.
It says the BC Wildfire Service anticipates reclassifying the blaze as being held in the coming days.
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The district says 65 B.C. wildland firefighters, five helicopters and one piece of heavy equipment are on scene to work alongside Squamish Fire Rescue staff to contain the fire.
Although weather conditions seem favourable for firefighting efforts, the district says a state of local emergency remains in place and many nearby properties are still under an evacuation alert.
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The district is warning visitors to be mindful of the emergency response effort underway and stay away from closed trails so as not to strain resources.
The BC Wildfire Service says the fire is suspected to be human-caused, which has led to a police investigation and an appeal for information from the Squamish RCMP.
The blaze near Squamish is one of 94 wildfires burning throughout B.C., most of which are in the province's northeast.
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Global News
9 hours ago
- Global News
Squamish wildfire fight helped by cooler weather, but emergency remains
Officials say a wildfire near Squamish, B.C., which forced the evacuation of the nearby Alice Lake Provincial Park and triggered a local state of emergency earlier this week appears to have stabilized after help from cool, cloudy weather conditions. The District of Squamish says the Dryden Creek wildfire has held steady at 0.6 square kilometres in size since Friday. It says the BC Wildfire Service anticipates reclassifying the blaze as being held in the coming days. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The district says 65 B.C. wildland firefighters, five helicopters and one piece of heavy equipment are on scene to work alongside Squamish Fire Rescue staff to contain the fire. Although weather conditions seem favourable for firefighting efforts, the district says a state of local emergency remains in place and many nearby properties are still under an evacuation alert. Story continues below advertisement The district is warning visitors to be mindful of the emergency response effort underway and stay away from closed trails so as not to strain resources. The BC Wildfire Service says the fire is suspected to be human-caused, which has led to a police investigation and an appeal for information from the Squamish RCMP. The blaze near Squamish is one of 94 wildfires burning throughout B.C., most of which are in the province's northeast.
CTV News
13 hours ago
- CTV News
Helicopter video shows Squamish wildfire impact from above
The District of Squamish shared this aerial tour of the Dryden Creek wildfire Friday night. The District of Squamish has shared new video of the Dryden Creek wildfire that broke out Monday, prompting a local state of emergency, evacuation alerts and anxious days for residents of the community. The helicopter tour of the fire area, which the district posted on social media Friday night, shows minimal smoke and fire activity along the steep ridge where the blaze has been burning. In the video, clusters of red trees can be seen where aerial crews dropped fire retardant, while swaths of grey and brown show areas that were burned in the fire. As of Saturday morning, the BC Wildfire Service still classified the fire as 'out of control,' but crews said Friday that they expected to be able to update that status to 'being held' sometime over the weekend. In its most recent update, the district said the fire remained 59.5 hectares in size and 'cool, cloudy conditions' were supporting less intense fire behaviour. A total of 65 BCWS firefighters, five helicopters and one piece of heavy equipment were responding to the blaze Saturday. 'The fire will remain visible, especially at night, as it consumes unburned fuel,' the district's update reads. 'This activity is expected and does not necessarily indicate fire growth or pose a cause for concern.'
Globe and Mail
a day ago
- Globe and Mail
Squamish, B.C., reports progress on wildfire fight, while rain expected in northeast
There's optimism from firefighters and local authorities as crews battle blazes in opposite corners of British Columbia heading into the weekend. The District of Squamish is reporting minimal overnight growth in the Dryden Creek fire that triggered a local state of emergency this week, while the BC Wildfire Service expects rain to help suppress the Pocket Knife Creek wildfire in the northeast. Smoke map: Squamish wildfire harms air quality in Whistler as warnings in place in B.C, Alta., Y.T. That fire is the biggest in the province at more than 1,500 square kilometres, and the wildfire service says it has grown significantly since merging with another fire on Sunday. BC Wildfire Service information officer Julia Caranci says in a video update on social media on Thursday that anticipated rain could aid in suppression efforts this weekend. She says she's hopeful the rain will help, although the fire has a large perimeter and it remains to be seen how much the rain affects fire behaviour. A situational report posted to the service website on Friday said rain was forecasted for most of northern B.C. this weekend before easing Sunday, and it warns of the possibility of slides caused by sudden rainfall on eroded areas. The report noted a 'warming trend' was expected to return to the province on Sunday, which could then stretch into next week and increase fire behaviour. Wildfire evacuees from remote north faced with hard decisions about their pets The blaze looming over Squamish, north of Vancouver, has grown to nearly 60 hectares in size, with the district reporting that crews made 'strong progress' on the southwestern flanks, while aviation crews focused on bucketing the northern edge. The district says in a posting to social media late Thursday that the fire spread on the northern side from 'steep, inoperable terrain into more accessible areas, allowing crews to engage more directly in suppression efforts.' The Squamish fire is among nearly 100 blazes actively burning across the province. There are three wildfires of note, the Pocket Knife Creek, the Kiskatinaw River fire and the Summit Lake fire, all in the northeast where most of the province's fire activity is concentrated.
