Downhill B.C. wildfire forces evacuations at Whistler, Blackcomb

B.C. wildfire forces evacuations at Whistler, Blackcomb

Jul 30, 2009

Source: CBC News

Both Blackcomb and Whistler mountains have been evacuated as a vigorous forest fire quickly grew to 75 hectares on Thursday afternoon.

Fire crews were protecting nearby lodges from the uncontained blaze, but Whistler Fire Chief Rob Whitton said the fire was not threatening any Olympic runs or lifts.

A tower camera shows the forest fire near the ski resort Thursday​

Seven air tankers and several helicopters are dropping water and fire retardant on the fire, according to the B.C. Ministry of Forests. Whitton said the winds appear to be pushing the fire east, away from the village.

A lightning strike is believed to have started the fire around 11:45 a.m. PT on the east coast of Crystal Ridge, halfway up the mountain on the northwest flank of Blackcomb Mountain, according to a statement released by Julia Waring, communications director for the Resort Municipality of Whistler.

Witnesses said flames stretched more than 30 metres into the sky.

Pina Belperio watched the fire grow with a bird’s-eye view from across Green Lake, north of Whistler.

"You can see lots of red-orange flames building up, and the wind’s just blowing the flames just right now, just activating the whole fire," said Belperio.

Ellie Dupont, fire information officer for the coastal fire centre, said the current heatwave is partly to blame.

“We’ve been going through quite a drying period. And then the lightning we’ve been receiving, I think this is the third hit for that area,” said Dupont.

View live web cams from the resort.

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WOW I was joking about how the fire danger didnt seem like it would be that high up there. That really sucks for anyone who has a trip planned.

 

Blackcomb Mountain Fire Update For Immediate Release – July 30, 21:41

Whistler, B.C. - A fire is currently burning on the east side of Crystal Ridge, which is the north flank of Blackcomb Mountain. There had been lightening activity in the area earlier in the day. At 14:55 lightning strike ignited the fire on Blackcomb Mountain. The Ministry of Forests & Range has deployed significant resources to contain the blaze, which is now estimated at 50-75 hectares in size is classified as a category four fire. Fixed wing and rotary engine tankers have been deployed, but will cease flights overnight.

The fire is located in a timber area and is not an interface fire. No critical infrastructure in Whistler or the Callaghan Valley are under threat at this time. No evacuation alerts have been issued in the Whistler area. The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) has activated its Emergency Operations Centre. An update on the fire will be provided at 8:00 am (PST) unless any major changes occur in advance of that. Due to lightening in the area all guests and staff were evacuated off the mountain by Whistler Blackcomb staff prior to the fire breaking out. Whistler Blackcomb plans to open Whistler Mountain on Friday morning for normal sightseeing, hiking and mountain biking operations, including operation of the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola.

 

it's back open...

A lightning strike near Whistler mountain bike park in Canada yesterday caused a blaze covering an estimated 75 hectares.

Staff and visitors were evacuated from Blackcomb Peak while firefighters tried to contain the fire on the east side of Crystal Ridge, which is just three miles from Whistler village.

The Ministry of Forests & Range used planes and helicopters to drop water on the flames on the mountain’s north-west flank.

Whistler Mountain was expected to reopen today (31 July) for mountain biking, hiking and sightseeing.

According to The Toronto Star, the south coast of British Columbia is in the midst of a record-breaking heatwave, with Vancouver hitting a record 34°C for the second day in a row.

 

Holy crap! We were just there - July 22-26. Thunderstorm on July 23rd was pretty wild - closed the lifts from 4-6:30 - but made the trails nice and tacky after that. Glad we missed the fire.