By Canadian Press

B.C.’s first major wildfire of 2020 destroys homes near Squamish: witness

Apr 17, 2020 | 9:16 AM

SQUAMISH, B.C. — The BC Wildfire Service says an aggressive blaze near Squamish, B.C., is being held at one-square kilometre in size but residents pushed out by the flames say several homes have been lost.

Toni Kerekes runs a riding school in the area and says she saw one home burning and what remains of at least two others as she left the area late Wednesday.

She says the situation is calmer today with the fire mostly burning on a ridge between the Squamish and Paradise valleys.

Evacuation orders and alerts issued by the Squamish Lillooet Regional District remain in place.

The District of Squamish is also maintaining its declaration of local emergency, issued Wednesday shortly after the start of the fire, which is expected to be human caused.

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Gusty winds, unseasonable heat and steep, challenging terrain is complicating firefighting efforts but Marg Drysdale with the wildfire service says calmer conditions Thursday helped crews working the blaze.

The wildfire service still says the fire as out of control, but an update is expected to be released later on Friday.

Kerekes said one house close to the road was nothing but smoldering embers as she left Wednesday.

Flames were climbing “like a ladder” up the steep hillside on one side of the valley and “random trees were burning like candles in the forest,” she said.

“It wasn’t terrifying like those poor people in Fort McMurray where you have fire right at the edge of the road, that would be frightening.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2020

The Canadian Press