British Columbia

Crews fight forest fire near Horseshoe Bay

West Vancouver firefighters say they're making progress on a wildfire burning near the Sea to Sky Highway.

Blaze not growing after helicopters throw water on hard-to-reach area

The fire was called in by several people driving along the highway around 8 p.m. PT Wednesday. (Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)

West Vancouver firefighters say they're making progress on a wildfire burning near the Sea to Sky Highway.

Helicopters arrived Thursday morning to dump water onto the fire, which was first spotted Wednesday evening. The blaze could be seen casting an orange glow over Horseshoe Bay overnight.

By late Thursday afternoon, West Vancouver Fire & Rescue said the fire was not growing and has responded well to firefighters' efforts. Crews will monitor the area through the night.

Firefighters have said the fire is small — close to one hectare in size — but that it's burning in an area that's hard to access.

After the fire started, a crew went up a service road near the Baden Powell Trail late Wednesday night, hoping to get a water tanker near the fire, but the the road was too steep and they had to stop. 

A helicopter prepares to dump water on a fire that broke out above Horseshoe Bay on Wednesday night. (Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)
West Vancouver Fire said the fire is small — close to one hectare in size — but that it's burning in an area that's hard to access. (Yvette Brend/CBC)

Officials said it's too early to speculate on what caused the fire.

The Baden Powell Trail and trails around Whyte Lake in West Vancouver have been closed while crews work on the fire.

West Vancouver Fire crews cleaning up after hiking up a service road to the scene of the fire. (Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)

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