Wildfire in White Rock results in shelter-in-place order

A brush fire in a densely packed Vancouver suburb prompted officials to order three properties into lockdown Sunday morning.

Five people in three separate homes in White Rock, B.C., were told to stay where they were while crews battled a blaze in steep terrain in the 13800 block of Marine Drive.

White Rock fire chief Brad Davie told Global News crews worked to protect the three properties from the fire’s spread, which had grown to about 100 feet wide at its height.

Davie said the fire started in some brush just after 10 a.m. Sunday, with local firefighters having to call the B.C. Wildfire Service because the flames were burning in steep terrain.

Two helicopters responded to the fire by dropping water from overhead, helping to get the blaze more under control.

Davie said the fire was considered held by early afternoon, with local firefighters working to ensure all hot spots were out.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

White Rock is a small coastal city of just under 22,000 residents, sitting between Surrey and the United States border. Active train tracks are located north of the brushy area where the fire started; crews say they are looking at every possible cause.

Firefighters were preparing to evacuate the five residents, but in the end, it was not needed.