Belcarra fire held; evacuation order rescinded

The təmtəmíxʷtən/Belcarra wildfire is now considered held and crews are confident they can keep the 1.5-hectare blaze contained, according to Thursday’s update from Metro Vancouver.

“This fire will not be growing beyond its current perimeter,” predicted Metro Vancouver’s director of protective services and emergency management Brant Arnold-Smith at a press conference in Anmore.

With no rain in the forecast, crews may be finding and dousing hot spots for another week, Arnold-Smith said.

Evacuation alerts have been rescinded for 35 Anmore properties. The two households that were evacuated have also been cleared to return.

Residents spotted smoke spiraling over the regional park on Wednesday afternoon, prompting firefighters to head to the area near Sugar Mountain Trail. However, a power line came down as crews were hiking up the trail, Arnold-Smith explained.

Crews pulled back and waited for the line to be de-energized. At the same time, B.C. Wildfire Service dispatched helicopters and bucketed the wildfire for more than six hours.

Having those two helicopters made a huge difference, “especially as we had to wait to get ground crews in due to the downed transmission line,” Arnold-Smith said.

The line was de-energized shortly before 8 p.m.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Investigators will look at what role, if any, the downed power line played in the wildfire.

The fire was assessed at 0.8 hectares Wednesday afternoon, nearly doubling in size and briefly being considered out-of-control by 7 p.m. that evening, according to B.C. Wildfire service.

Through efforts from multiple agencies including B.C. Wildfire Service, the Sasamat Volunteer Fire Department, Port Moody Fire Rescue, and Metro Vancouver Emergency Management staff, the fire was considered contained on Thursday night.

In dealing with what he called a “stubborn” fire that stretched over steep terrain and embedded as deep as four feet in the ground, Arnold-Smith said the coordinated response was “instrumental” in containing the blaze.

“We don’t exchange business cards on the site of the fire. We know everyone’s roles and responsibilities before we get here,” he said.

B.C. Wildfire Service and Port Moody Fire Rescue stood down on Wednesday.

No firefighters were injured.

The Bunzten Lake recreation area was reopened Thursday.