The Dryden Creek Fire in Squamish started on Monday, and as of Friday continues to be categorized as out-of-control. The BC Wildfire Service reports the fire is about 60 hectares in size. For the last 24 hours the fire has not grown significantly due to favourable weather conditions.
The BC Wildfire Service brought in extra equipment today including additional air support to better control the fire perimeter. The fire crews want to take advantage of the favourable weather window and will be attacking the fire through the weekend.
The exact cause of the fire is not known, but it is believed to be human caused, which led the Squamish RCMP to issue a statement asking for anyone who was around the area where the fire started to come forward. The fire is believed to have originated around 4pm Monday on a bike trail at the end of Tantalus Road.
Thank you for your patience and support for all those with the Nation working hard to keep our People and Community safe.
Impacts
• Poor visibility on the Sea-to-Sky Highway, reduced speed limits
• Alice Lake Provincial Park closed
• Complete fire ban (no open fires) issued by the Nation, and the District of Squamish
• All recreational trails in the area are closed
• Evacuation alerts for a couple hundred District homes nearest the fire perimeter
• District of Squamish State of Local Emergency in effect
Community Support
• Squamish Nation working daily with the District of Squamish Emergency Operations Centre to provide updates to community and support fire suppression efforts for culturally important areas
• Squamish Nation staff continue outreach in Community
• Equipment provided to Elders and those with health concerns most impacted by poor air quality
• Public Safety Department on call 24 hours: 604-374-2687, or email: emergencyresponse@squamish.net
Stay Informed
• The Nation will continue to issue wildfire updates on our social channels: Squamish Nation Facebook
• We also post regular wildfire news updates on our website: Dryden Creek Fire Update
• The BC Wildfire Service provides daily updates on the fire here: BC Wildfire: Dryden Creek
Consider signing up for the alert system
The Squamish Nation uses Voyent Alert as a notification service to communicate critical events such as fires and extreme weather. The alert system provides timely information to our Sḵwx̱wú7mesh community when a situation begins, updates as needed, and confirmation that an issue is resolved.
The alerts are sent by text, phone call, email or app. Members will only receive alerts if it will affect them directly (where they live) or a second location you are following. For example, if there is a wildfire near a community, only those who live in that community will be notified. You would receive an alert if you added a second location such as your “mom’s home” or “kid’s school”, if it’s affected by an incident.
We are encouraging Squamish People to sign up for the free alert service. It is anonymous when you register and only takes a few minutes. You can either Register online or download the app at the Google Play or Apple App stores.
