Stanley Park closing overnight due to wildfire risk

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Hot, dry conditions have prompted the Vancouver Park Board to temporarily close Stanley Park overnight.

Starting Friday night, the park will be closed between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. due to the extreme fire risk. With the aim of reducing the number of people in the park overnight, there will be temporary access control points at five locations during those hours.

Anyone who doesn’t have to be at the park will be turned away.

The access control points will be positioned at the following locations:

• Traffic circle off Georgia St
• The corner of Barclay and Park Lane
• The corner of Beach Ave and Park Lane
• The south exit of the Stanley Park Causeway
• The north exit of the Stanley Park Causeway

The #19 bus will still operate through the area.

The Stanley Park Causeway will remain open but access to the seawall will be closed.

At more than 400 hectares, Stanley Park is Vancouver’s largest. The Park Board says there are about a half million trees — mainly cedar, fir, and hemlock — some of which are hundreds of years old.

#StanleyPark will close overnight between 10pm-6am to non-essential access beginning tonight in an effort to reduce fire risk to the park, which is extreme due to current heat and drought conditions. Read more at: https://t.co/CRDaToU6Ez pic.twitter.com/SMYEjAZYh8

— Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation (@ParkBoard) July 30, 2021

“The current conditions in Stanley Park are extreme right now and given the size of the park, the risk of a fire breaking out overnight when fewer people may notice it or report it presents a significant threat to the wellbeing of the park, its trees, wildlife, and everyone who relies on the park and its ongoing health,” said Amit Gandha, Director of Park Operations.

“We have been in close contact with our partners at Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services as well as the Vancouver Police Department and they fully support this proactive measure to reduce the risk of a catastrophic fire in the park.”

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• West Vancouverites reminded to undertake fire prevention efforts amid dry conditions

There will be signage along the access points to advise pedestrians and cyclists of the closures and park rangers will be patrolling the park.

The Park Board says the overnight closures will “extend indefinitely until the fire risk has been significantly reduced.”

The park has also been the site of numerous coyote attacks, including one last week when a woman jogging along the seawall was bitten on the leg.

Four coyotes were put down just days before that incident.

The Conservation Officer Service had previously said it believes as many as six coyotes have been involved in recent attacks at Stanley Park.

More than 30 people have been attacked in Stanley Park since December. On July 12, a two-year-old girl was sent to the hospital after she was bitten near the Vancouver Aquarium.

With files from Monika Gul and Hana Mae Nassar