A wildfire that prompted evacuations and alerts in Anmore is now considered held after firefighters spent the night battling flames in steep terrain at Belcarra Regional Park. Forty firefighters worked through hot, dry conditions using hose lines to keep the fire to roughly 1.5 hectares, according to officials. “The fire has now moved to the condition or status of being held. That means that this fire will not be growing beyond its current perimeter,” said Brandt Arnold-Smith, the incident commander with Metro Vancouver Regional District. The fire prompted tactical evacuations at two homes in Anmore and an evacuation alertfor 35 other properties in the village. Those orders and alerts have since been rescinded. For resident Christine Sutton, the wildfire hit particularly close to home. While her property was outside the evacuation zone, two of her children were among the firefighters battling the blaze. “Last night, it was quite nerve wracking,” Sutton said. “This is the first time they’ve ever been part of any kind of wildfire response.” Officials said the fire started at the bottom of a hillside before rapidly moving uphill, scorching large sections of the slope. Firefighters are continuing to extinguish hotspots Thursday and dig into the ground to prevent the fire from reigniting. Crews also faced an additional challenge after arriving on scene. “They did see a hydro transmission line come down. So at that time, for safety reasons, to ensure responder safety, they pulled back out of the area,” Arnold-Smith said. While ground crews were temporarily held back, helicopters bucketed the wildfire from above. In a statement, BC Hydro said the damaged line has been de-energized and repairs are underway. “Our crews have already made some progress in replacing the electrical infrastructure,” the utility said. “There were no power outages as a result of this event.” Officials are still working to determine what caused the fire to break out. “We’re in contact with BC Hydro and their transmission teams, and we’ll be able to provide more information in the coming days, ” Arnold-Smith said.
