Small timber fire in Squamish trail system a reminder to be ever-vigilant

The small timber fire in Squamish that began Saturday evening is completely contained and mop up continues. Crews from the BC Wildfire Service and Squamish Fire Rescue made good progress on Sunday to extinguish or remove burning and hazardous material. This mop up phase will continue Monday.

Investigation of the cause is still underway, however it is unlikely that the fire was naturally caused. This event serves as a wake up call to what could be a hot, dry, intense wildfire season ahead in British Columbia.

“This small scare is a wake up call for us all to be extremely careful as we recreate in our forests, as our thoughts go to the people of Fort McMurray and the extreme challenges they face,” says District of Squamish Mayor Patricia Heintzman. “One small spark can lead to catastrophic results. We thank the quick action of our local fire fighters and the coordinated effort of the province, along with timely cooperation from the weather, that all worked together to effectively deal with this fire.”

The fire area is located above Rockridge Place (north end of Tantalus Road) adjacent to the south end of Jack's Trail on the perimeter of the Alice Lake Trail network.

CLOSURE - Jack's Trail and surrounding area (i.e. trails leading to or from Jack's Trail) remain closed to the public at this time. Fire crews are asking the public to please stay clear of the area until further notice. Water tanks are set up on the trail blocking access and danger trees need to be assessed following the mop up stage. BC Wildfire Service will also conduct helicopter scans periodically over the next few days and cannot have members of the public in the area during those exercises.

The next update will be provided on Monday once further information is available.

May 8, 2016