The Upper Squamish Valley fire is like the canned food panic-bought at the start of the pandemic quarantine — seemingly everlasting.
Authorities still aren’t ready to call the 203-hectare Magee Road fire out, which means it will likely hit the one-month mark Friday.
The blaze started on April 15, and, at its peak, wiped out three houses and other structures, while displacing up to 100 people.
Marg Drysdale, a fire information officer with the BC Wildfire Service, says that crews recently found a hotspot at the bottom of the valley and snuffed it out.
There are no more flames or smoke, but to be on the safe side, they’re not saying that it’s a done deal. Fires often burn underground for a long time, and, at the start of the month, wisps of smoke were seen in the area.
“They haven’t declared it out because of the areas on the slope that were very inaccessible,” said Drysdale. “They don’t believe that they got a good scan reading because of the slope. So they want to let the weather go through.”
With the exception of Friday, Environment Canada is predicting showers every day until Monday. Drysdale says crews will reassess the fire area after the weekend.
The area is open to the public, but authorities warn of possible burned falling trees.
Meanwhile, last weekend, the Conservation Officer Service patrolled recreation sites and parks throughout the Sea to Sky. They evicted almost 100 people as part of the effort to enforce COVID-19 restrictions, but officers say there were no illegal fires spotted.
Squamish Fire Rescue report they responded to calls over the weekend related to the burning of inappropriate materials, fires without the required campfire permit and fires in public areas. RCMP say they were called to two illegal fires.
