Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media / Two firetrucks and an ambulance dispatched to the scene on Vedder Mountain Road.

By Alyssa Conti

TENT FIRE

Tent fire in Chilliwack encampment raises concerns about homeless conditions in the area

Feb 8, 2025 | 3:30 PM

CHILLIWACK — Residents of Chilliwack and their neighbours in the Cultus Lake area have caught a whiff of smoke late Saturday morning (Feb. 8) after a tent fire near the Vedder Bridge, just past the Sidekick brewery.

At 11:48 a.m., two Chilliwack Fire trucks were dispatched to the scene on Vedder Mountain Road and Chilliwack Lake Road. A BC Ambulance Service unit was also called to assist with a person suffering from smoke inhalation. The female victim was alert and responsive.

The burnt tent was part of a known encampment with multiple tents. It also borders the bridge heading into Cultus Lake.

Anxieties rise in nearby Cultus Lake

Vedder River sits between the City of Chilliwack and the Soowahlie First Nation Reserve. Due to the proximity of the encampments, residents are growing uneasy about the number of fires in the area.

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“A few members are upset with the fires,” said Soowahlie member Naomi Trimm. “[They] are scared that one night, it may come towards the community.”

Trimm says the fires could spread from the wind gusts. With only one entry into Cultus Lake, some residents are concerned about safely evacuating the area in an emergency.

A community member told Fraser Valley Today, “I work nights and I’ve had to make so many calls [about] people setting trees on fire […], during fire season, I’ve called in a fire right above that homeless camp with houses above.”

The member, who wishes to stay anonymous, added that they were worried about those with addictions sleeping in the tents.

Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media / The tent fire was part of a known encampment in the area.

Those present at the scene reported seeing propane tanks littering the encampment.

At around 2 p.m., Trimm posted on Facebook that the firetrucks were leaving, but the smoke would likely linger around the Vedder area “for a bit.”