Squamish Fire Smokes Out Climbers

A fire that broke out on Thursday night at the Squamish Terminals deep water port is contained, but there is major damage.

The District of Squamish issued a warning after the fire started warning people to stay in their homes.

The inferno began on the east dock around 6 p.m. All workers at the terminal have also been accounted for. The cause is still under investigation. The blaze destroyed one of two berths.

Matt Brooks was at the Smoke Bluffs when the fire started and told Gripped, “It was brutal, everyone was in awe of how much smoke there was. A few of us gathered on top of a wall and watched it grow. Word spread that the fumes might contain toxic stuff, so we bailed when the wind changed and the smoke blew north.”

“There was a cloud of white smoke. It just kept smoking and smoking and building and building,” said Rose Mary-Jane Hunter, who was on Nexen beach the fire began. “It smelt terrible. We were driving back and we couldn’t breathe. You had to put your head in your hand and in your coat,” she said.

Squamish officials are awaiting word from Vancouver Coastal Health on the toxicity of the smoke, but said that anyone who experiences problems breathing after being exposed to the smoke should seek immediate medical attention.

The city’s tap water is safe to drink as Squamish is on a closed groundwater system.