WEDNESDAY JULY 19 2023
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WATER BOMBERS CALLED IN
Crews control Seymour blaze as wildfire danger rating remains high NICK LABA
nlaba@nsnews.com
As they sift through piles of ash and charred debris, investigators are looking at an unauthorized structure as the potential source of a wildfire that burned out a section of the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve last week.
Smoke was first seen rising from the slope of Mount Seymour at around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday (July 12) afternoon. After a flurry of more than 300 reports from the public, a response was quickly mounted, led by Metro Vancouver, with District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services and BC Wildfire Service supporting. Water bombers and helicopters were swiftly dispatched and hit the site continuously for the rest of the day. After the bulk of the flames were handled from the air, ground crews moved in on foot in the late evening and began the work of digging up hot spots under the ground while felling dangerous trees to secure a safe work area.
By Friday, the fire’s status changed from out of control to held, as crews had established a perimeter around the 0.3 hectare site, heavily soaking the ground to contain any possible spread. By Saturday, the blaze was declared under control by BC Wildfire Service. Crews continued patrols through the weekend, and were not finding any more hotspots as of Tuesday (July 18), said Brant Arnold-Smith, program manager of security and emergency preparedness with Metro Vancouver. “We’re hoping to move this fire to the classification ‘out’ in the coming days, possibly by Thursday,” he said. An investigator was on site Tuesday, he added, looking for the root cause of the fire. At the heart of the 3,000-squarefoot area are the burnt-out remains of an unsanctioned hut. “Our fire investigators are looking [to see] if it was the root cause of the fire or if it was caused by lightning. Continued on page 28
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POWWOW POWER
MOVING PERFORMANCE Dancers take part in a powwow Sunday at West Vancouver’s Capilano Reserve Park. The three-day festival was hosted by Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and featured dancers young and old from across North America donning regalia and celebrating their culture. Visit nsnews.com to see more photos. MINA KERR-LAZENBY / NSN