By The Canadian Press

Crews make ‘good progress’ on Squamish, B.C., wildfire, as RCMP investigate cause

Jun 12, 2025 | 9:55 AM

The mayor of Squamish, B.C., said he knew it was a stressful time for residents, as an out-of-control wildfire burns in hills above the community where a local state of emergency was declared this week.

But Armand Hurford said crews are making good progress and the community north of Vancouver is not in immediate danger.

“It’s alarming language, (but) it’s an important tool,” he said of the emergency declaration at a briefing on Thursday.

“The town is functioning. Kids are going to school, the buses are running on time, the cafés are busy, and this isn’t a situation at this time where the town at large is in danger.”

The Dryden Creek blaze was just five hectares in size on Tuesday when the District of Squamish declared the emergency. It had reached 54 hectares by Thursday, nearly tripling in size from the day before when it got within about 40 metres of homes.

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Aaron Foote, the chief of Squamish Fire Rescue, said at Thursday’s briefing that crews had been installing structural protection on homes closest to the blaze, but the fight had “gone very favourably overnight” and he didn’t expect the systems to be activated.

He said command of the fire fight would be transferred from his department to the BC Wildfire Service in the days ahead.

The district said the BC Wildfire Service and Squamish Fire Rescue had recommended the closure of Alice Lake Provincial and an evacuation order was issued.

The district said in a social media post late Wednesday that the fire was not actively threatening park facilities but was growing toward access routes and the smoke had resulted in reduced visibility.

The district later said visibility had improved, allowing helicopters to begin bucketing Thursday morning.

The Squamish Nation said in a separate post that it had removed all valuable items from the Alice Lake long house as a cautionary measure.

The BC Wildfire Service said the blaze is suspected to be human caused, which led to a police investigation and an appeal for information from the Squamish RCMP.

The Mounties said in a news release that the department was informed of smoke on the hillside at the end of Tantalus Road on Monday around 5:30 p.m.

But they say it is believed to have been started around 4 p.m. that day on a bike trail, so officers are asking anyone with information about the fire to contact police.

The Squamish fire is one of about 100 wildfires burning throughout B.C., most of which are in the province’s northeast.

In its latest update, the BC Wildfire Service said there are currently 50 wildland firefighters working alongside Squamish Fire Rescue staff to contain the Dryden Creek blaze. It said five helicopters had also been deployed.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2025.

Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press