Popular B.C. lake access closed as crews continue to battle Metro Vancouver park wildfire
The battle against an active wildfire burning in a Metro Vancouver park has stretched into a second day, and access to a popular B.C. lake has been impacted by the incident.
A ground fire was discovered under the power lines in the area behind Crystal Creek in Belcarra Regional Park on Wednesday, Aug. 5.
In an update posted on Thursday, Aug. 6, Metro Vancouver Regional District announced that the 1.5-hectare fire is nearly contained, with crews on site to monitor conditions and extinguish hotspots.
However, residents and visitors are being asked to avoid the area while firefighting operations continue.
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“Thank you to all responding agencies for their swift, coordinated response. Metro Vancouver has been in close contact with Anmore Mayor John McEwen and village staff, who have been coordinating evacuation activities, throughout the incident,” said the District in an update posted to social media.
BC Hydro has also announced that the busy Buntzen Lake recreation area remains closed until further notice due to the Belcarra Park wildfire.
“We will reopen only when advised that it is safe to do so,” said BC Hydro in an update on Thursday morning. “We’ll share updates as they become available.”
The 4.8 km reservoir covers 182 hectares. Buntzen Lake is just north of Port Moody, about 30 km from Vancouver, or about an hour-long drive.
BC Hydro
According to the BC Wildfire Service, the previously out-of-control blaze in Belcarra Park is located on Bedwell Bay Road, and the suspected cause is human-related.
Metro Vancouver Regional District added in a previous update that the fire currently appears to be near Sugar Mountain Trail.
Emergency management staff, regional parks staff, and watershed protection firefighting crews were on the scene, with three BC Wildfire Service helicopters dumping water on the fire.
An evacuation notice remains in place for 35 properties in the Village of Anmore, with two properties already evacuated on Wednesday as a precautionary measure.
Metro Vancouver Regional District
There are currently 112 wildfires burning in B.C. at the time of publication, with 10 started in the last 24 hours.
A BC Wildfire Service provincial situation report issued on Aug. 5 warned that there is “potential for fire activity to increase” as hot and dry conditions return for the majority of the province.
“Winds are forecast to remain light across much of the province, with some localized variability,” it added. “These weather conditions may allow smoke to linger and become more visible in southern parts of the province.
“With the change in weather, we may begin to see holdover fires, lightning-caused fires where heat smoulders undetected until hotter, drier and windier conditions lead to more visible smoke.”