Approximately 20 forest firefighters, two helicopters and two water tankers are tackling a bush fire east of Squamish.
At 4:42 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 4, a bush fire at roughly 8 Mile along the Mamquam River Forest Service Road was called in to emergency crews. The blaze was human caused and was reported by the person who accidently lit it, District of Squamish spokesperson Christina Moore said.
The Squamish-based Wildland Fire Initial Attack Crew were the first on the scene. The team was able to contain the forest fire to half a hectare. A DC 10 water tanker was called in from Abbotsford.
“8 Mile, that’s pretty close [to Squamish], although there was definitely a rapid response [to the fire],” Moore said.
On Tuesday, Aug. 5, fire crews continued to battle the blaze. Squamish Fire Rescue Chief Russ Inouye is reminding residents to be extremely vigilant in the wilderness. B.C.’s Wildfire Management Branch has placed the fire risk within the area at “high.” There is a ban on open fires and campfires in the coastal region.
Photo by Adrian Marcoux
