B.C. Wildfire Service expects Squamish fire held soon, as residents celebrate rain

Brieanna Charlebois · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 13, 2025 5:14 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

A occurrence that has been burning retired of power and threatening the municipality of Squamish, B.C. is expected to beryllium declared "held" successful the adjacent mates days, a spokesperson with the B.C. Wildfire Service said Friday.

Rory Baldwin said that crews expect good advancement this play acknowledgment to favourable weather, portion District of Squamish Mayor Armand Hurford said rainfall connected Thursday nighttime had prompted celebrations connected the streets.

The blaze northbound of Vancouver — which triggered a section authorities of exigency and has been deemed "out of control" since it was discovered connected Monday — has reached 60 hectares successful size.

Hurford said he'd heard of radical wanting to instrumentality to closed trails, but said it was not harmless to "push the limits."

"We privation visitors to beryllium mindful of the extended exigency effect that's underway," helium said.

Squamish Fire Rescue main Aaron Foote said that other crushed crews and different chopper had arrived to assistance the fight. The territory had said earlier connected societal media that a Black Hawk chopper would beryllium helping the aerial firefighting fleet.

Foote said determination has been beardown advancement astatine the confederate extremity of the occurrence and that heavy bucketing — successful which helicopters driblet ample quantities of h2o oregon occurrence retardant — was underway successful the north. 

He besides noted occurrence enactment had "decreased substantially" acknowledgment to an summation successful humidity. 

But helium said burning trees had fallen overnight, immoderate wrong astir 40 metres of homes.

More than 200 properties, including multi-family dwellings, are nether evacuation alert, helium added.

Foote said determination has been a "truly incredible" outpouring of enactment from the assemblage for the section and B.C. Wildfire Service firefighters.

Baldwin said helium expected the occurrence to beryllium declared held "within the adjacent operational play oregon the time aft that."

Other wildfires successful northeast

Meanwhile, determination are 3 important wildfires successful B.C.'s northeast. That includes the Pocket Knife Creek wildfire, which is the biggest successful the state astatine much than 1,500 quadrate kilometres. Officials accidental it has grown importantly since merging with different occurrence connected Sunday.

B.C. Wildfire Service accusation serviceman Julia Caranci said successful an update connected societal media connected Thursday that anticipated rainfall could assistance suppress the fires this weekend.

The 2 different wildfires of enactment are the Kiskatinaw River occurrence and the Summit Lake fire.

A situational study posted to the work website connected Friday said rainfall is forecasted for astir of bluish B.C. this weekend, but expected to easiness connected Sunday. It warned of the anticipation of slides caused by abrupt rainfall connected eroded areas. 

The study noted a "warming trend" was expected to instrumentality to the state connected Sunday, which could past agelong into adjacent week and summation occurrence behaviour.