Firefighters on the ground and in the sky managed to douse on a small forest fire that ignited on Monday (Sept. 3) behind Totem Hall on the Stawamus Reserve.
The cause of the fire, which was first reported at around 5:20 p.m., is unknown, Chief Russ Inouye of the Squamish Fire Rescue Service told The Chief on Tuesday (Sept. 4). Smoke from the fire could be seen billowing skyward from downtown Squamish and Highway 99.
Firefighters from Squamish Fire Rescue initially attacked the fire on the ground. However, after assessing the situation with officials from the B.C. Wildfire Management Branch, it was determined that a portion of the area was difficult to access on the ground and a helicopter was called in, Inouye said.
The helicopter equipped with a water scoop was deployed at around 6:30 p.m. and began scooping up water from Howe Sound and dumping it on the blaze. It took a few loads of water before the fire was out.
Inouye said the fire-hazard rating has been either high or extreme for the past three weeks and that the forest floor is still "tinder dry." He urged those going out in the woods to take care not to do anything that might start a fire.
