Vancouver: A huge fire broke out on Thursday night at Squamish Terminals, a deepwater shipping port about 40 miles north of Vancouver, British Columbia.
Auxiliary fire crews from Squamish, West Vancouver, and Vancouver were called in to assist and the District of Squamish said in a news release that a fire boat from Vancouver was at the scene.
The emergency services work managed to reduce the fire significantly and it was expected to be just smouldering overnight.
Approximately 60 terminal staff were evacuated safely.
BC Emergency Health Services said four ambulance crews, a helicopter and a critical-care team were on standby but nobody was transported and no casualties reported.
But the dock was engulfed in flames at the height of the blaze and a long column of smoke rose over the community of Squamish.
With a noxious smell in the air for miles around, local authorities advised residents to stay indoors and close doors, windows, fireplace dampers and other points of entry.
It is believed the fire started just before 6:30pm next to or on Star Atlantic (30,402 dwt, built 1986) a timber carrier, but quickly spread throughout the docks, fuelled by pilings containing creosote, a carcinogenic chemical.
Squamish Terminals is a deep-water facility in Howe Sound with two berths and three warehouses that hold about 47,000 square metres of storage.
