The Squamish Terminals dock fire remains active, and likely won’t be out until Saturday, according to Squamish Fire Rescue Chief Bob Fulton.
“It is an ongoing operation. We don’t anticipate being able to say this fire is struck completely until probably tomorrow, at some time,” he said.
The fire is 100 per cent contained under the east side dock, according to Fulton.
“It is a tough fight because the construction of the dock, the underside of the dock, it is tough to get right at it and of course we’ve got pretty good tide swings so we can get under it, and then we can’t.”
Fulton said when the initial call of the fire came in to Squamish Fire Rescue at about 6:30 p.m. Thursday night, 60 firefighters – volunteer and career firefighters – were sent to the Terminals adjacent to Nexen Beach on Howe Sound to tackle the blaze.
Crews have been given breaks and brought back on in shifts, an exhausted looking Fulton said.
A Vancouver Fire and Rescue fire boat was on the scene two hours after the fire started and will remain at the scene “for the duration,” according to Fulton.
The fireboat can nose right up to the dock when the tide is down and hit the fire with a deck gun, Fulton said.
“You have to understand they are working in an extremely smoky, dangerous environment and sometimes zero visibility, so it is really tough and so as the tide comes up, you can’t hit it at all.”
Four Whistler firefighters and an engine were brought in this morning and will also remain as long as needed, Fulton said.
“It is an ongoing operation. We don’t anticipate being able to say this fire is struck completely until probably tomorrow, at some time,” he said.
An excavator has been down on the docks since about 7 a.m. Friday, Fulton said.
The excavator has been on the edge and pulling the dock apart so crews can get at the fire, he said.
A spokesperson from the Ministry of Environment (MOE) told The Squamish Chief that Emergency Management BC (EMBC) were notified of the fire at approximately 7:30 p.m. Thursday night.
“An Environmental Emergency Response Office from the Ministry of Environment was on scene throughout the night doing air quality testing,” read a statement.
“Emergency Management B.C., Vancouver Coastal Health, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Environment staff are all working closely with local authorities.”
Late Friday afternoon, MOE issued an Air Quality Advisory for Squamish that is expected to be in place for 24 to 48 hours, due to the lingering smoke, the advisory said.
People with respitory conditions were advised to stay inside.
Open fires were banned within a 20 kilometer radius of downtown Squamish as of Friday evening and will remain banned for 72 hours, according to the District of Squamish.
New Westminster’s Fraser River Pile and Dredge are sending a barge or a crane to help pull the remaining dock apart. The equiptment is expected by midnight Friday, Fulton said.
The Squamish Chief learned from a Squamish RCMP spokesperson on Friday morning that it appeared the source of the fire was electrical, and not suspicious. Fulton said the cause of the fire was still under investigation.
There were sprinklers on the underside of the dock, Fulton said, and they were deployed.
“Whether or not they were effective, that will be part of the investigation,” he said.
The fire could have been much worse, according to Fulton.
He said the wind was blowing northeast taking the fire away from the warehouse, where the pulp is stored.
Ideally, Fulton would like to see Squamish have its own fireboat, he said.
“As you can see, we have significant development on the water that is going to continue and grow and so yeah, in the future I would love to have our own fire boat, but obviously that is a budget concern.”
Mayor Patricia Heintzman agreed a fireboat for Squamish would be ideal.
“For a town of our size it is a bit of an expensive endeavor so we have to evaluate it with budgets, but as we grow and multiply on the waterfront it is definitely something we need to consider.”
This story has been updated since it was first posted.
