Squamish, B.C., reports progress in fire fight, as northeast hopes for rain

There's optimism from firefighters and local authorities as crews battle blazes in opposite corners of British Columbia heading into the weekend.

The District of Squamish is reporting minimal overnight growth in the Dryden Creek fire that triggered a local state of emergency this week, while the BC Wildfire Service expects rain to help suppress the Pocket Knife Creek wildfire in the northeast.

That fire is the biggest in the province at more than 1,500 square kilometres, and the wildfire service says it has grown significantly since merging with another fire on Sunday.

BC Wildfire Service information officer Julia Caranci says in a video update on social media on Thursday that anticipated rain could aid in suppression efforts this weekend.

She says she's hopeful the rain will help, although the fire has a large perimeter and it remains to be seen how much the rain affects fire behaviour.

The fire looming over Squamish, north of Vancouver, has grown to nearly 60 hectares in size, with the district reporting that crews made "strong progress" on the southwestern flanks, while aviation crews focused on bucketing the northern edge. 

The district says in a posting to social media late Thursday that the fire spread on the northern side from "steep, inoperable terrain into more accessible areas, allowing crews to engage more directly in suppression efforts."

The Squamish fire is among 100 blazes actively burning across the province.

There are three wildfires of note, the Pocket Knife Creek, the Kiskatinaw River fire and the Summit Lake fire, all in the northeast where most of the province's fire activity is concentrated.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin