A piece of the Stawamus Chief appears to have fallen off, alarming the community and drawing emergency crews to the scene.
The piece, approximately 1,000 cubic metres in size, perhaps larger, dropped just before 12 p.m. Sunday, creating a cloud of dust in front of the mountain visible to anyone in downtown Squamish.
As of 1 p.m., six ambulances were on hand as well as fire and police vehicles. Curious onlookers, some of whom had hiked in from the trails of Valleycliffe, were being told to stay back. A helicopter was surveying the damage.
The commander told The Squamish Chief at about 12:30 p.m. that a geotechnical assessment was being done to ensure safety and none of the emergency personnel would be sent in until that had been done.
Witnesses who live in Valleycliffe said they were surprised late this morning to see a piece of the granite monolith slide off and a cloud of dust arising. The event is only days after a major fire at the Squamish Terminals Thursday created a plume of smoke and alarm throughout the city.
Search and Rescue crews were staging at Stawamus Elementary School in Valleycliffe.
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Anyone with photos or videos or those who have witnessed the event can send them to [email protected].
