SQUAMISH — Drivers on British Columbia's Sea To Sky Highway could see the smoke billowing from the forested hills above Squamish on Wednesday.
But that didn't show how close the Dryden Creek wildfire got to homes overnight.
Aaron Foote, the chief of Squamish Fire Rescue said Wednesday that debris from burning trees had fallen about 40 metres from homes, rolling down steep hillsides as local firefighters battled the blaze that's threatening the community, which has declared a local state of emergency.
"Currently (the structures are) not at risk. We do have a good area of humidity," Foote told a briefing. "We've been applying sprinkler systems throughout the past few days, and currently, they are not at risk."
The Dryden Creek blaze was just five hectares on Tuesday when the District of Squamish declared the emergency and it had grown to more than 20 hectares on Wednesday, although Foote said the overnight growth was "minimal."
Five water-bombing helicopters are part of the battle, and the thumping of their blades filled the air above the community that's renowned as an outdoor sports hub, about halfway between Vancouver and Whistler.
The Squamish fire is one of almost 100 wildfires burning throughout B.C., most of which are in the province's northeast.
Although it has more fires burning than any other province or territory, British Columbia has so far been spared the worst impacts of a fire season that has forced thousands from their homes in the Prairies.
About seven structures have reportedly been destroyed by the Kiskatinaw River fire in B.C.'s northeast, an official with the Ministry of Emergency Management told a briefing on Monday.
Squamish resident Ryan Casey said he first noticed smoke from the Dryden Creek wildfire on Monday above the community of Brackendale at the north end of town.
He said he had been watching the activity “pretty closely” over the last few days, but he lives on the south side, and “it would take quite a bit for it to get to our end,” he said Wednesday.
“But every year we have small fires that break out close to the river by our house. I would say most of them are human caused, but yeah, it’s always concerning when we have a fire close to town."
The Dryden Creek fire is believed to have been human caused, and RCMP Staff Sgt. Gareth Bradley told the Squamish briefing that police are investigating how and where it started.
"We did hear some stories about people being on the trail," he said.
"At this time, nobody has come forward to discuss that with us, so we'd like to open an opportunity for people that might have been out walking or hiking on the trail, to come in and talk to us about that."
An update from the district on Wednesday afternoon said the BC Wildfire Service increased its onsite crew to 50 personnel. Twenty Squamish Fire Rescue members are on site as well as four firefighters from Whistler.
Marc Simpson with the BC Wildfire Service told the Squamish briefing that firefighters were facing a "long, multi-week process" in hard-to-access areas.
"We're going to have to monitor in some areas and be very careful with our firefighter safety," he said.
"We're going to be dealing not only with the fire, but rolling debris, and oversized, rotten trees that we'll have to deal with by falling, etc."
Three tree fallers are part of the firefighting effort.
The emergency declaration signed by Squamish Mayor Armand Hurford says the wildfire is threatening Brackendale, Tantalus Road and Skyridge in the community about 60 kilometres north of Vancouver.
No evacuations have been ordered, but residents have been told to get ready to leave on short notice as firefighters work to protect homes and critical infrastructure.
Graham Barrett was sitting in his vehicle just off the highway in Brackendale on Wednesday afternoon, checking on the fire out of curiosity.
Originally from Ireland, Barrett said he has lived a few kilometres away in the highlands of Squamish for about four years.
“We live in a fiord that is forested. If it was to go bad, it would be incredibly dangerous,” he said. “There's people living here, there's a bunch of schools right here, hundreds and hundreds of people live on this side of the road.”
He said it’s “really scary that there could be a major fire in a temperate rainforest.”
Gusts of wind shook the brush on the side of the road as he spoke, and he said people in town are all aware of the fire and generally concerned as the smell of smoke carried through the air.
“It's always a fear because it's so much warmer than it used to be. We can't ignore climate change as being a part of that. The summers are definitely a hell of a lot warmer. Everything is green,” he said. “We don't have a lot of rain at the moment, so that's a concern.”
The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre reports 227 active fires across the country, with about half burning out of control.
There are 59 burning in Alberta and 23 in Ontario, where more than 1,400 people were evacuated from the Sandy Lake First Nation this week.
More than 10,000 people have been forced out of their homes due to a string of fires in Saskatchewan’s north, and Premier Scott Moe on Wednesday promised $500 in direct aid payment per person.
Most evacuees are from the Pelican Narrows and the La Ronge area, and those residents are either going back now or have been cleared to return later this week.
Manitoba and Saskatchewan have both declared states of emergency during one of their worst fire seasons in recent years.
About 21,000 people have been evacuated from Manitoba communities, including all 5,000 residents of Flin Flon and about 6,700 from Pimicikamak Cree Nation. There are 25 fires burning in Manitoba.
Christy Climenhaga with Environment Canada said the smoke from the Prairie fires is drifting into the United States, but the poorest air quality is in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
She said the Prairies may get relief this weekend.
“Smoke forecasting can be tricky, but that’s the wind pattern we’re expecting by Friday,” said Climenhaga.
Environment Canada issued special air quality statements on Wednesday due to wildfire smoke in B.C. covering Fort Nelson, Peace River, Williston and Stikine River and Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park, Howe Sound, and Inland Vancouver Island.
It says the smoke is causing or is expected to cause poor air quality and reduced visibility for the next 24 to 48 hours.
— With files from Ashley Joannou in Vancouver
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2025.
Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press
