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Blackcomb fires provide anxious moments

Firefighters continue to battle blazes in Ruby Bowl and on Crystal Ridge
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Forty-five firefighters remained on Blackcomb Wednesday, tackling two fires started by a lightning strike last week.

Neither fire appears to pose any imminent danger to lifts or other infrastructure on Blackcomb, but the tinder-dry forests and threat of further lightning have officials watching the situation carefully.

Doug Forseth, senior vice-president of operations for Whistler Blackcomb, said the resort is likely to see some thunderstorms in the next couple of days, though more than anything he just hopes for rain.

"Thunderstorms are my worst nightmare right now," he said Wednesday. "What we're seeing right now, again it's weather so you're never quite sure, there's a possibility of rain without lightning in the first part of the week Monday or Tuesday."

In the event of another storm, Forseth said Whistler Blackcomb will station someone at the peak of Whistler Mountain to monitor the weather because it provides a good vantage point to determine whether a storm is coming.

"If we have any strikes or lightning, we typically will put someone on the west side of the golf course over on River Hill and monitor over there as well," he said.

The first of the two fires was started by a lightning strike on the east side of Crystal Ridge on the afternoon of Thursday, July 30. Aerial and satellite surveys of the fire Friday showed the blaze at about 30 hectares in size, about 56 times the size of an American football field. That estimate was smaller than a Thursday evening measurement of 75 hectares.

Fixed wing aircraft and helicopters battled the fire Thursday afternoon. Large plumes of smoke and flames could be seen throughout the Whistler valley.

Three helicopters were on scene quickly, dropping water on the fire and refilling their buckets in a nearby pond. Fixed wing water tankers arrived and dropped fire retardant.

The fire was first reported at about 2:45 p.m. but Whistler Blackcomb had already evacuated all visitors and staff from the two mountains by about 2:30 p.m.

"We saw the lightning coming at about 1 p.m. and we stopped selling tickets and started moving people off the mountain," said Forseth.

He estimated there were about 300 people on Whistler Mountain at the time, and between 50 and 75 people on Blackcomb.

Whistler Blackcomb monitors lightning storms when they get within 100 km of the area.

The Crystal Ridge fire was 100 per cent contained and ground crews were keeping tabs on a few perimeter hotspots by Monday. But that afternoon a second fire flared up in the Ruby Bowl area at about 3:45 p.m. The Ruby Bowl fire was likely the result of "hold-over lightning" from the July 30 fire.

Two helicopters attacked the Ruby Bowl fire Monday, one with water and the other with a mix of water and foam.

Tourists were escorted off Blackcomb as a precautionary measure when the second fire started Monday afternoon.

The Ruby Bowl fire showed "minimal spread overnight," according to a Tuesday release from the Resort Municipality of Whistler. As of Wednesday the fire is about 5 hectares in size and burning in very rocky terrain with "minimal alpine vegetation." It is uncontained but isolated from more commonly accessed areas on the mountain.

As of Wednesday, 19 firefighters are on hand to tackle the Crystal Ridge fire and all air support has been moved to other areas, though resources remain available if needed.

There's a helicopter and 26 firefighters tackling the fire in Ruby Bowl using hose lines to establish a water supply to the fire. Crews are trying to make a fuel break on its lower west flank. The fire is burning in the sub-alpine, in an area with steep rock bluffs, sparse timber, boulders and brush, according to the Ministry of Forests.

Ground crews have laid hose and constructed hand fire guards to tackle the fires. Tree fallers have been on site to support the ground crews.

The fires are within Blackcomb's ski area boundary but there have been no reports of damage to the Crystal chairlift or any other Whistler Blackcomb infrastructure.

Blackcomb was closed Friday due to the Crystal Ridge fire but the Peak 2 Peak gondola was operating. Blackcomb reopened Saturday and has remained open to the public throughout the week. As of Wednesday, The Wizard and Solar Coaster Chairs are in operation on Blackcomb, as are the Rendezvous and Christine's Restaurants, sightseeing and Alpine Walk hiking trails. All other hiking trails are closed until further notice and access to Crystal Ridge and Ruby Bowl is strictly prohibited.

Evacuation efforts last Thursday included people touring the Whistler Sliding Centre near Base II on Blackcomb. Anne Porritt was among them. A visitor from Detroit, she and her husband were touring the centre when the call came to get off the mountain.

"All of a sudden this guy pulls up in a pickup truck, he slams on his breaks and comes running over to where we were and says 'I'm sorry guys, I don't know where you are in your tour but we're evacuating the entire mountain and you guys have to leave right now,'" she said.

Porritt had just gotten to Whistler on Wednesday and extended her visit before the forest fire began. She didn't expect anything like the fire to happen but she said it made her trip a lot more exciting.

Residents living in Whistler Blackcomb staff housing at Base II on Blackcomb were also evacuated Thursday. They were allowed to return to the buildings by 6 p.m.

The Crystal Ridge fire came as crews with the Ministry of Forests were battling dozens of new fires within the Pemberton area and across the province.

Fire crews are being stretched thin in B.C., although additional firefighters have come from across Canada, New Zealand and Australia to help.

An Emergency Operations Centre has been set up in Whistler in case of future fires.