Crews hold back wildfire that threatened fringes of Metro Vancouver as B.C. continues to battle blazes
Firefighters have successfully contained a wildfire near Belcarra Regional Park in British Columbia, preventing further damage to nearby homes. Meanwhile, the province continues to struggle with massive wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of properties.
Why it matters
This highlights the increasing frequency and severity of wildfires in Canada and their direct impact on residential communities.
The Pear Lake wildfire is shown in this handout photo on July 31. The fire has now grown to 126,000 hectares. BC Wildfire Service/Reuters
When Walker Adair heard about the wildfire in the park near his home in suburban Vancouver, he set out to look for it.
The Belcarra resident traced the fire’s location Wednesday afternoon through videos on social media and drove toward the flames, arriving nearby as firefighters had just begun their efforts to douse it. The 1.5-hectare fire was torching Belcarra Regional Park, a municipal wilderness park across Burrard Inlet in the Vancouver area.
The flames were coming dangerously close to the village of Anmore, B.C., causing officials to evacuate two homes and place 35 properties under evacuation alert before the wildfire service declared it held Thursday afternoon.
“It was sobering to see smoke rising directly behind the mansions in the neighbourhood,” Mr. Adair said.
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