UPDATE: 9:45 p.m — Richmond’s fire department could have a blaze near Shell Road and Westminster Highway out by Monday or Tuesday, deputy chief Kevin Gray said Friday night. He said crews are confident they made progress on the fire.
A fire has been burning for hours in a forested area of Richmond Friday.
The fire is burning on Department of National Defence lands near Shell Road, on the north side of Westminster Highway, and was about 10 hectares in size and growing as of Friday night.
Around 1:15 p.m. the bog fire broke through to Shell Road and was in danger of jumping the road.
WATCH: Tense moments for fire crews in Richmond today — trying to get the upper hand on a blaze
The City of Richmond said Friday night that crews were having trouble extinguishing the fire because it is a heavily forested area, and the need for large amounts of water to soak peat soils that the fire was burning in.
The BC Wildfire Service says it’s sent two initial attack crews, four skimmers, a helicopter and a Bird Dog spotter plane to assist Richmond fire crews, and that it could send more help if needed.
WATCH: Planes pick up water from Fraser River to battle Richmond fire
Skimmers could be seen making runs on the Fraser River to load up with water Friday afternoon.
The Department of National Defence has also provided more than a dozen officers and a fire apparatus to help.
An excavator has been put into action as well to cut away the forest growth so firefighters can battle the blaze. Trees will have to be removed.
Richmond fire Chief Tim Wilkinson said it will be some time before crews are able to put the blaze down.
“This is a technical fire and will likely be a multi-day event, with various road closures needed to provide space for equipment and hoses,” he said.
“Those downwind will experience smoke and ash and I urge you to keep windows closed, HVAC systems running, and those vulnerable with health issues should stay indoors out of the smoke.”
The fire is creating a lot of smoke that can be seen and smelled across the Lower Mainland.
WATCH: Dep. Fire Chief Kevin Gray gives Global News an update on the stubborn fire burning in a Richmond bog
Dep. Fire Chief Kevin Gray says crews were on scene a few times overnight due to the smell of smoke but could not locate the fire.
Then it grew quickly early Friday morning in an area not generally accessible to the public.
It is not known how the fire started but it is burning about 1,000 feet into the forest so it was initially a long walk for firefighters to get there.
“We have to cut our paths into the area, to get to the area, as there’s no trails,” said Gray.
“We have a very limited water supply as well.”
WATCH: Timelapse of smoke intensifying at Richmond bog fire
Acting Captain Forrest Weissler said the wildfire assistant with the BC Wildfire Service designed a strategy to outflank the fire using heavy equipment.
“There will be a lot of trees removed unfortunately, for that to happen, but we need to get this fire suppressed and extinguished fully and under control,” said Weissler.
As of Friday night, Richmond RCMP had closed Westminster Highway between No. 4 Road and No. 5 Road.
Shell Road was also closed from Westminster Highway to Alderbridge Way.
Other roads in the area were heavily congested due to the closure, and motorists were being advised to stay away if possible.
The nearby Richmond Nature Park also closed its trails on Friday.
“It will be a long day so we’re pacing ourselves accordingly,” said Gray.
“Right now we have a lot of water from the limited supply and we’re going to bring that down into smaller lines so we can concentrate in smaller areas and we do have the upper hand based on that.”
Ted Townsend, the director of the communications for the City of Richmond said they are concerned about the fire’s proximity to Richmond’s Nature Park, so they are watching the progress carefully.
He said they will likely be closing trails in the area due to the fire hazard.
“We just like to send the message out to the public that is very dry and hot and people need to exercise extreme caution in the parks in the city.”
He added to look for alternative routes for anyone needing to come into the city or travel through Richmond.
The fire is not affecting operations at Vancouver Airport.
This is a developing story and we will update it as soon as more information is available.
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