Squamish wildfire grows in size, but officials say conditions improving
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A wildfire that has placed more than 200 properties under evacuation alert in the District of Squamish has grown in size, but officials say conditions for fighting the blaze are improving.
The Dryden Creek fire, which is burning next to the Sea-to-Sky Highway about 45 kilometres north of Vancouver, grew from 14.4 hectares Tuesday evening to 20.2 hectares Wednesday.
But B.C. Wildfire Service officer Marc Simpson said higher humidity should help crews fight the blaze. And, while strong winds were forecast for Wednesday, Squamish Fire Rescue Chief Aaron Foote said they were blowing in their favour.
"We're in a better place today than we were," Simpson told a news conference.
He added that the terrain around the fire includes steep, inaccessible areas where there may be rolling debris and "oversized rotten trees," which he expects to prolong the crews' work.
An evacuation alert in the northeastern corner of the district remains in effect.
On Tuesday, the district said about 100 properties were in the alert zone, but on Wednesday it clarified the total to be more than 220 properties, noting that one property may include multiple dwellings.
Squamish Mayor Armand Hurford said affected residents should be ready to leave on short notice. He also stressed that the alert is only for certain neighbourhoods.
"We're safe at this point, and the challenges are very localized," he said.
"Things are OK here in Squamish, save for the concern we have in our very north and eastern corner of the community."
WATCH | Squamish declares state of local emergency:
District of Squamish declares state of local emergency due to wildfire
18 hours ago
Duration 2:06
The district declared a state of local emergency Tuesday, noting the danger for the Brackendale, Tantalus Road and Skyridge areas.
Hurford said the declaration gives the municipality access to more provincial resources should conditions worsen.
He said a Montessori school in the evacuation alert area has closed due to the proximity of the wildfire.
The fire is believed to be human-caused, but an exact cause isn't known yet.
RCMP are investigating the fire and are asking anyone who was in the area around 4 p.m. on Monday to share information with police.
There are 94 active wildfires in B.C., and more than half are classified as out of control.
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