Crews continue to battle Maple Ridge wildfire

Crews continue to battle a wildfire that broke out in the Rock Ridge area of Maple Ridge, B.C., on Friday evening.

The fire is burning in the area of the Malcolm Knapp Research Forest, according to Maple Ridge Fire Chief Dave Samson.

He said there is currently no danger to the public and nearby properties but is asking people to avoid the area and not fly drones nearby.

Samson said about 25 firefighters responded to the report of a brush fire at about 6:30 p.m. on Friday evening, working overnight to contain the blaze in steep and challenging terrain.

“We are fortunate that nothing was impacted,” he said. “Our focus will continue to remain on the life safety, residential structures and critical infrastructure.”

Crews continue to work on the fire, which is less than a quarter of a square kilometre in size, or about 1.5 hectares, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS).

Samson said if people notice smoke, they should close their windows and remain inside.

Samson described the blaze as contained, noting crews have not seen any new growth since Friday. However, the BCWS website has classified the fire as out of control, which means it’s spreading or is anticipated to spread beyond the current perimeter or control line.

Maple Ridge crews will continue to work alongside B.C. Wildfire Service to monitor the fire, Samson said, adding the cause is under investigation.

“Be very mindful of all activities,” Samson said. “We certainly are into a dry season.”

Erika Berg, a fire information officer for the Coastal Fire Centre, echoed Samson, saying that as the region has been dealing with compounding years of drought, the overall risk of wildfire is high.

But heading into next week, the wildfire service is expecting an easing off of conditions, as “impactful rainfall” is on the way.

“Which is good news when it comes to fire activity … the overall impact of this anticipated rainfall will depend of the frequency and the overall amount of what we do receive,” she said.

“So we do have to take it kind of week by week to gauge the fire risk conditions. So in the short term, things are trending in the right direction, but … it is still early and too early to be making any full conclusions.”

The suspected cause of the Maple Ridge fire is human activity, according to the BCWS.

“Now that we are entering June this is when we start to see that increase of lightening risk. So it’s a good reminder as we enter into this period of instability and higher likelihood, to do our part to limit the risk of human caused wildfires,” Berg said.