Firefighters remain on the scene of a blaze that ripped through a building on Pemberton Avenue on Sunday morning.
As of Sunday evening, the fire at 1555 Pemberton Ave., where the Squamish Mills logging company is headquartered, is mostly out, but a few spot fires remain, according to District of Squamish spokesperson Christina Moore.
Crews are still putting water on these spot fires, and work is expected to be ongoing for another couple of hours, Moore said at 6 p.m.
There are no known injuries from the fire, and the cause of the blaze is unknown.
Moore said the 9.1.1. call came in at 11:37 a.m. Sunday.
Approximately 35 firefighters were fighting the fire with seven fire vehicles.
In addition, RCMP officers, paramedics with BC Ambulance Service, and staff from the District of Squamish Public Works had been on-site, Moore said.
A wide perimeter around the area has been closed off to the public.
The Squamish Station shopping centre and parking lot nearby are not impacted, however.
Power had to be cut in the area.
The BC Hydro Outage Map shows that 22 customers have lost power. The estimated time for power to be restored is 6:30 p.m.
A BCHydro crew is on-site.
CN was asked to stop sending trains through for a time, but the train tracks have since re-opened.
Building's history
Eric Andersen, known for forestry education and advocating to preserve local history, told The Squamish Chief that the fire at the Squamish Mills building impacts many people and businesses.
"Squamish Mills Ltd. was started in 1951 by Pat Brennan and John Drenka — and thus is the second oldest continuously active locally-owned company in the corridor, after John Hunter Co.," said Andersen, who is also a sitting District councillor.
"Inside the building were numerous photos of amateur sport teams and community events and acknowledgements of the company's generous sponsorship over the years."
The Squamish Mills building was built in about 1973, according to Andersen.
"The Howe Sound Timber building next door — a genuine heritage building for the community, due to its materials, quality and associations — has not been affected by the fire," said Andersen.
**Please note that this story was updated as new information became available.
