The District of Squamish, B.C., just 45 kilometres from Vancouver, has declared a state of local emergency due to an active wildfire burning in the hills just above several homes in the Skyridge area.

Squamish

A local state of emergency has been declared in Squamish, British Columbia, due to a wildfire burning in the hills above the Skyridge neighbourhood. The fire, discovered recently, is burning close to homes and a major highway, prompting authorities to issue evacuation alerts for around 100 properties.

Officials report that the wildfire is difficult to access and control, with helicopters deployed to drop water in an effort to prevent its spread. The fire is believed to have been caused by human activity and follows a period of record-breaking heat. Residents are being urged to prepare for possible evacuation, and the public is asked to avoid the area to allow emergency crews to work effectively.

Emergency declared in Squamish, B.C., as wildfire burns near homes

Watching the sky, Ian McKay and his dad prepare as a wildfire burns above their home. Right now we're all here defending our properties, defending our livelihoods. Pumping water from a nearby creek to saturate their property. It's a beautiful place. Squamish has been my home. I'm born and raised in this neighbourhood, so we're going to stick it out as long as we can. The Dryden Creek wildfire was discovered late Monday in Squamish, about an hour north of Vancouver. It's burning alongside houses and a major highway linking Whistler, Squamish and Vancouver. Estimates of the fire's size grew rapidly throughout the afternoon. You fire in town this early in the season, you're worried about what's happening. You've got a lot of hot months left and yeah, not a lot of rain on the forecast right now. The fire comes after days of record-breaking heat and is suspected to be caused by human activity. Some people at night will see little blitz of flaring trees, but it's being driven mostly by a west-facing steep slope. This is going to be the huge challenge for our crews on this fire. There's going to be places that are inaccessible to work, which is going to make this a drawn-out event. The fear that a relatively small but hard-to-reach fire right now could grow much larger. The District of Squamish declared a local state of emergency that could remain in place for up to two weeks. It allows us to access more resources to deal with the current situation and if the situation changes, it gives us some more powers and the ability to move more swiftly. There are more than 80 active wildfires burning across B.C. About 10 started in the last 24 hours. And that's why I'm asking everyone to have a plan in place now before there's an emergency. Throughout the day, helicopters dropped water buckets trying to gain control before the fire spreads. About a hundred properties are under evacuation alert, Adrienne, meaning they should prepare to leave at a moment's notice if they're ordered to. Yasmeen, officials obviously have enough on their hands just fighting the fires, but it seems there's even more on their plates. That's right. The mayor of Squamish is asking people to avoid the area, including using the highways or hiking the trails around the fire to give crews the space they need to protect the community. And he says that officials will also go door-to-door and let residents know if they have to flee. All right, Yasmeen Renea in Squamish, B.C. Thank you, Yasmeen.

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