‘A very good night,’ West Vancouver brush fire held, fire department says

The wildfire that shut down part of Highway 99 near Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver Monday is being held, according to the BC Wildfire Service.

Thanks to the fast work of water bombers and firefighting crews, the fire is now back down to being one hectare, when at its height it was three times that large.

6:46 – #WestVan – **UPDATE** Traffic is still blocked along the #BCHwy99 NB exit from #BCHwy1 due to a wildfire that crews are battling. The way around this closure is Horseshoe Bay Dr. to the #SeatoSkyHwy. SB 99 is now open @MountainFMradio listen live https://t.co/Ozho7V0RLm pic.twitter.com/tnYB1hdSMV

— CityNews Vancouver Traffic (@CityNewsTraffic) June 27, 2023

Crews hit the fire near Whyte Lake hard after learning of the blaze in the early afternoon.

Speaking to CityNews Tuesday morning, West Vancouver Assistant Fire Chief Mike Hodges says the conditions overnight really helped to contain the fire.

“We had a very good night, little to no wind. The fire state contained, [with] no growth, and we’re just in the process of starting our operations on the slope again,” he said.

Hodges explains the fire has compromised the roots of the huge trees near the highway, creating concerns they could topple over.

“We have dangerous tree assessors on scene. We’re working to get some geotech. It’s all kind of on rock, so, we’re worried about root systems and it’s still hot in the middle.”

“We did a really aggressive air attack yesterday, just based on fire growth, the conditions and location,” he said.

People need to understand B.C. is in dangerous fire conditions almost always, Hodgins says.

“We’ve got to be very cautious and diligent when we’re in interface areas and enjoying the outdoors of B.C. because we’re really at the point now where we have fire conditions all year round.”

While firefighters continue to work on the fire and investigate its cause, Highway 99 is still closed northbound, with a detour via Horseshoe Bay Drive in place. Southbound traffic is able to flow through directly from Squamish.

In a statement, the District of West Vancouver says the BC Wildfire Service crew from Pemberton is on site Tuesday working to remove dangerous trees from the area.

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–With files from Sonia Aslam