Sea to Sky Highway partly reopens as wildfire is "being held"
A key traffic corridor on the Lower Mainland has partly reopened after a wildfire burning nearby shut it down this week.
According to the BC Ministry of Transportation, part of the Sea to Sky Highway (BC Highway 99) has reopened as of Tuesday, June 27. Northbound lanes are closed, but a signed detour is in place. Southbound, the lanes are open and clear.
āUPDATE – #BCHwy99 – Northbound remains closed. Signed detour in effect.
ā CLEAR – Southbound #BCHwy99 is OPEN.
Next update: Tues June 27/23 9:30 AM PDT
ā¹ļøhttps://t.co/Cw43K4n2b5
ā¹ļøBC Wildfire link: https://t.co/6FGEN8JhP0#SeaToSky #Whistler #Squamish #NorthVan #WestVan pic.twitter.com/72ZSiPGgBd
— DriveBC (@DriveBC) June 27, 2023
The update comes just as the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) confirms that the Whyte Lake wildfire is “being held.” Currently, at just one hectare in size, the suspected human-caused fire is not likely to spread.
Location of the Whyte Lake wildfire | BC Wildfire Service
After a fire broke out around Whyte Lake close to Horseshoe Bay by Highway 99 this week, BCWS said they were assisting the West Vancouver Fire Department to respond to the incident.
The fire is currently estimated at three hectares in size and is highly visible to the public from many vantage points surrounding Horseshoe Bay. There have been many reports of smoke in the area visible through West Vancouver.
— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) June 26, 2023
After the fire started, witnesses reported seeing visible smoke in West Vancouver and many shared photos and videos of planes and water bombers in the area.
The fire in West Vancouver is deemed out of control and is suspected to be human-caused.
Locals are sharing videos of water bombers in the area with @DailyHiveVan.
Video credit: @marlonjenglish & The Parlour https://t.co/02FMDcAayn pic.twitter.com/DKlUWijI5a— Nikitha Martins (@nikitha_martins) June 27, 2023
Happy our firefighters could help @DWVFirefighters and @BCGovFireInfo with the wildfire burning now in #WestVan
Be fire smart #Vancouver! The cause of this fire is undetermined, but people are often responsible for starting wildfires@GlobalBC @BCGovNews @CTVVancouver @CBCNews pic.twitter.com/BESANqSpwv
— DistNorthVanFF's (@DNorthVanFire) June 27, 2023
With the wildfire now “being held,” drivers are hopeful that full access to the Sea to Sky Highway will soon be restored.
More to come…
With files from Daily Hive Staff