—UPDATE: June 15, 10 a.m.—
As of this Father’s Day morning, according to BC Wildfire Service, the Dryden Creek fire continues to be held.
A post to the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) website says crews are working along the edges of the fire on the south, east and west to reinforce existing holding lines closest to the community.
The goal is to reach containment of the wildfire.
Another firefighting crew is stationed at the north edge of the fire and working to meet up with holding lines from the west, bolstering protection for communications infrastructure in the area, the post reads.
Other crews are helping this effort by finding and dealing with hazardous trees to ensure a safe working environment for everyone on-site.
Crews
According to BCWS, 57 wildfire fighters and four tree fallers are currently responding to the wildfire, alongside crews from Squamish Fire Rescue.
In addition, three helicopters are battling the fire from the air, while one piece of heavy equipment is being used on the ground.
Weather
Cooler temperatures in recent days have helped to decrease fire behaviour, which continues to display Rank 1 characteristics, according to the BCWS update.
A Rank 1 fire means:
- A smouldering ground fire
- There's no open flame
- Some white smoke may be visible
"Today (Sunday), we expect slightly warmer, sunnier weather, which will help our crews to locate and mitigate existing hot spots. We do not anticipate additional growth as a result of today's weather,” the BCWS post reads.
“In the longer range, conditions are forecast to remain cool and damp, with some precipitation likely to occur midweek.”
Earlier this morning, the District posted an update to its social media, from its emergency operations centre.
“We would like to extend a happy Father’s Day and heartfelt thanks to all of the fathers working on the wildfire today,” the post reads.
The District also announced that, with the fire danger decreased, the municipality is no longer the lead agency on the fire, BCWS is.
—UPDATE: 6:35 p.m. June 14—
Good news, Squamish, the Dryden Creek wildfire has officially been classified as being held and no longer out of control.
While it remains at 59.5 hectares, BC Wildfire Service reclassified the fire at 3:50 p.m. today after expecting firefighters to be able to contain the blaze within its current perimeter.
According to BC Wildfire Service, for a fire to be classified as being held, it means that it “is projected, based on fuel and weather conditions and resource availability, to remain within the current perimeter, control line or boundary.”
The District of Squamish shared on their social media that the wildfire remains stable as the cooler conditions continue throughout the evening.
“The total size of affected area is still reported at 59.5 hectares and personnel numbers have not changed on site as crews continue to bolster containment lines,” they wrote on their social media.
The evacuation alerts are also expected to be re-evaluated tomorrow, June 15.
Currently the evacuation alert remains in effect from Depot Road east of Highway 99 to Tantalus Road (North of Dowad and Thunderbird Creek).
“Fire fighting efforts will continue in the weeks ahead. Thank you for your patience, cooperation and support for all those working hard to keep our community safe,” the District wrote.
Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation)
The Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) reminded folks this afternoon that they have an emergency alert system—Voyent Alert—to let people know about critical events such as fires and extreme weather.
“The alert system provides timely information to our Sḵwx̱wú7mesh community when a situation begins, updates as needed, and confirmation that an issue is resolved,” they wrote online.
“The alerts are sent by text, phone call, email or app. Members will only receive alerts if it will affect them directly (where they live) or a second location you are following.
“For example, if there is a wildfire near a community, only those who live in that community will be notified. You would receive an alert if you added a second location such as your ‘mom’s home’ or ‘kid’s school’, if it’s affected by an incident.”
The Nation encouraged Squamish People to sign up to the free alert service.
Squamish Fire Rescue
The Squamish Fire Rescue also extended their “heartfelt appreciation” to all of the food and drink donations received from the community.
“Our Firefighters and the EOC staff have been fed so well, and we have received more donations than can be consumed by our personnel,” they wrote on their social media.
“At this point, we are asking the community to divert any further donations to local food banks, so that things don’t go to waste.
“Thank you for showing up and keeping us fed during this busy week. They say it takes a village—we’re very lucky that Squamish is ours.”
—UPDATE 10:30 a.m. June 14—
This is Day 6 of the Dryden Creek wildfire.
As of the latest BC Wildfire Service report, the Dryden Creek wildfire is still 59.5 hectares in size and remains out of control, on June 14.
Last night, the Squamish Fire Rescue said the fire remained stable and did not grow throughout the day with cool, cloudy conditions supporting less intense fire behaviour.
The department said they anticipate being able to classify the fire as being held in the coming days, which means that the fire is projected to remain in the current perimeter.
“65 BC Wildfire fighters, five helicopters, and one piece of heavy equipment were on scene today [June 13]. Squamish Fire Rescue crews continue to focus on structural protection efforts and overnight tactical patrols,” the department wrote on their social media.
The southwestern flank closest to residential areas was the main focus for fire crews as they bolstered existing containment lines with improved water delivery.
The evacuation alert remains in effect from Depot Road east of Highway 99 to Tantalus Road (North of Dowad and Thunderbird Creek).
Anyone in the affected area must be ready to leave on short notice.
Alice Lake Provincial Park has been evacuated and closed by BC Parks until further notice.
Squamish Nation
Last night, the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) shared to their social media that they had been working to protect the Alice Lake Longhouse.
“A structure protection team, led by Jason Wilson, our Squamish Nation Firesmart Coordinator, was out today working to protect the Alice Lake Longhouse. Removing overgrown landscaping, pallets and combustibles around the building will help protect it should it be threatened by wildfire,” they wrote.
“A Squamish People owned business formed the work crew, including Dylan Peters, Shaelyn Baker, and Danny Baker, who worked to remove any material that could ignite and burn.”
The Nation said that many Squamish people use the Alice Lake Longhouse, in particular youth who use the space to learn about Squamish in an outdoor setting.
“Working to protect this cultural site was initiated quickly because of the Dryden Creek Fire burning out-of-control on the north side of Squamish. A BC Wildlife Service expert in structure protection provided guidance on ways to protect the longhouse building,” they wrote.
Weather for the fire
According to Squamish meteorologist Jason Ross, a ridge of high pressure will build over the weekend, clearing skies and warming temperatures.
Another trough will approach the coast early next week, possibly bringing showers, Ross said.
The wind today is blowing from the south at about 20 km/h, with gusts up to 40 km/h this morning before becoming light this evening.
Temperatures will reach a high of 21 C and a low of 10 C with the skies looking mainly cloudy.
—UPDATE: 3:30 p.m. June 13—
Although it’s Friday the 13th, there’s some reassuring news about the Squamish wildfire.
The Dryden Creek wildfire remains at 59.5 hectares and out of control. However, BC Wildfire Service expects this status could change in the next day or two.
“We have a number of stages in terms of containment, out of control being the first stage and that is where we are at right now. The next stage is being held. The definition of being held is that we are not expecting the perimeter to grow in size with current resources on site as well as current weather conditions,” BC Wildfire Service spokesperson Rory Baldwin said at a press conference on June 13.
“So we’re expecting with the weather forecast that we’ve been receiving that we’re going to make good progress in the next operational period and that we’re going to be looking at addressing the status of the fire to being held probably within the next operational period or the day after that.”
Baldwin explained that the size of the fire—59.5 hectares—is equivalent to between four or five kilometres.
“As the crow flies, we’re looking at about four kilometres to five kilometres from the tail of the fire … at the end of Tantalus Rd to the north end of the fire where it’s been pushing the last several days,” he said.
While the fire has spread over the last few days, Baldwin said its direction north has worked in the firefighters' favour.
“In a way, having the fire move further north has actually aided in our suppression efforts because the terrain becomes more operable and less steep as it gets closer to the Alice Lake turnoff.”
Fire Chief with the District of Squamish Aaron Foote said that crews are taking advantage of the favourable weather to achieve a “higher level of containment.”
“We are expecting additional resources with additional ground crews. They have arrived today, as well as an additional helicopter,” he said.
“Currently, we have around 65 BC Wildfire Service firefighters and five helicopters working today. Strong progress has been made on the southern and south western flanks while aviation resources maintain heavy bucketing along the northern perimeter of the fire.”
Foote reminded residents that the fire will remain visible, particularly at night, as it consumes unburned fuel pockets within the perimeter; however, it “does not necessarily indicate growth or pose for concern.”
BC Wildfire Service tour of the Dryden Creek Wildfire. This aerial view highlights the steepness of the terrain firefighters are contending with. The reddish areas show where retardant was dropped. Thank you BC Wildfire Service & Squamish Fire Rescue! pic.twitter.com/f0HnQrQN23
— District of Squamish (@Squamishtown) June 14, 2025
Evacuation alert
The evacuation alert remains in effect from Depot Road east of Highway 99 to Tantalus Road (North of Dowad and Thunderbird Creek); however, Foote said this will be revisited once the status of the fire moves to being held.
Alice Lake Provincial Park has also been evacuated and closed by BC Parks until further notice.
Foote also thanked the local residents and businesses for their support over the past week, which he said has “really helped to uplift and motivate our crews.”
As the weekend approaches, Mayor Armand Hurford urged visitors to be mindful of the extensive emergency response underway.
“That means keeping moving on the highway, which has been reduced to one lane northbound with a lower speed limit to aid in moving through. As well as respecting the closures that we have in place for trails,” Hurford said.
“I’ve already seen some chatter online like ‘It seems to be dying down, can I go ride Rigs in Zen [ mountain biking trail]?.’ No. The response is active, so please give the space for that to happen. We have an extensive trail network that you can go and recreate in, we need space to continue this, and it is not safe to push the limits of that.”
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
—Original story June 13—
This is Day 5 of the Dryden Creek wildfire.
As of the latest BC Wildfire Service report, the Dryden Creek wildfire is 59.5 hectares in size and remains out of control, on June 13.
Last night, Squamish Fire Rescue said they had seen "minimal growth" on the fire.
The department says crews continue to make strong progress on the southern and southwestern flanks, while from the air, crews are focused on heavy bucketing along the northern perimeter.
The south perimeter is the primary focus, according to the Squamish Fire Rescue post.
The evacuation alert remains in effect from Depot Road east of Highway 99 to Tantalus Road (North of Dowad and Thunderbird Creek).
Anyone in the affected area must be ready to leave on short notice.
Alice Lake Provincial Park has been evacuated and closed by BC Parks until further notice.
Weather for the fire
According to Squamish meteorologist Jason Ross, a weak upper trough with an onshore flow will continue bringing mostly cloudy skies with cooler temperatures and a small chance of showers to the south coast today.
The wind is blowing from the south at about 20 km/h, with gusts up to 40 km/h this morning.
Over the weekend, a ridge of high pressure will build, clearing skies and warming temperatures.
Another trough will approach the coast early next week, possibly bringing showers, Ross said.
The Squamish Chief spoke with engagement analyst and rural community expert James Whitehead, who works for the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University (SFU).
Whitehead focuses on ways to address the risks and impact of wildfire in B.C. and how to mitigate those risks.
Whitehead, now a Squamish resident, has seven years of experience as a firefighter all over B.C., and has worked with rural communities in the Interior, where some people have been reluctant to evacuate, specifically those in the Robson valley, between Prince George and Jasper.
What follows is a version of that conversation edited for length and clarity.
Q: What is your immediate impression of the Dryden Creek wildfire?
A: I think it's always interesting to see when fires are right beside communities and how visceral it is, and how much of a spectacle it becomes.
Q: I guess people are trying to look at it because it's not an everyday occurrence, or even an annual occurrence.
There might be people who have never seen a wildfire like this up close, or might not be taking it as seriously as they realize they ought to?
A: That's something people aren't familiar with and aren't comfortable with. Where I used to live in northern B.C., you would see big fires pretty regularly, but to get this sort of viewing right beside town is something I've never seen before in a town that's not been evacuated.
It's so rare that a fire starts right there and expands.
I think it's really important that people do see what's going on, but just doing it from a safe place.
The overpasses have been great for that.
It's more just, if they're going into areas where there are active responders, it’s a big no-go.
This happens in areas all around the province, but on the coast, we tend to be removed from this.
Wildfires are a reality for people in the Interior, and so it's obviously a bit different in context, but I think it's really important to note, too, that this is unique to our reality.
Q: How would you encourage the Squamish community right now to adapt?
A: 80% of structures lost in fires tend to be from ember showers, and sparks from the main fire.
That's often really frustrating, because it's quite random as to where that happens, and really confusing for residents.
At the same time, you don't need to live in a fortress to make sure that the siding on your property is good.
Moving wood piles, thinking about the roofing materials when you're replacing those, it's very doable to reduce a lot of the hazards.
FireSmart BC has really good recommendations as to how you can address your own hazards, and the District has staff that can help you with an assessment, or you can do it yourself.
Some of the things are expensive; a lot of the suggestions are cheap. It’s about landscaping around your property.
You can place a hose pipe on your roof.
I think it's important to note that we live in an environment where there are other hazards too like earthquakes, floods, and landslides.
Wildfire, in a lot of ways, is the one that we can have a bit more agency in, and reduce our hazards.
I really recommend that people comply with campfire rules and regulations and that they look through the FireSmart regulations and see what they can do on their own property.
Q: Is there anything else that you would like to add?
A: The big one is that although this is a visceral and impressive fire, it is high profile.
We have 50 to 60 very qualified firefighters on this incident, and crews are working their best; they’ve made a priority to secure the areas near homes and properties.
So while I fully understand the fear and concern, we have great resources on this fire, and the fact is, there's no need to panic at the moment.
Ina Pace is The Squamish Chief's Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) Reporter.
This reporting was produced through the LJI, which supports original civic journalism across Canada.
