SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., July 31, 2009-A wildfire started by a lightning strike Thursday afternoon at Blackcomb Mountain led to the evacuation of mountain. The fire, which covered about 75 acres as of Friday afternoon, has been burning since approximately 3 p.m. local time Thursday near the Crystal Chair, according to a Whistler Blackcomb spokesperson. On Friday afternoon, the fire was reported to be 30 percent contained.

A 41-person ground crew has been fighting the fire, with additional resources available from the Resort Municipality of Whistler Fire Rescue Service and Whistler Blackcomb. Three heavy rotary engine tankers have been deployed to support the ground crew.

A spokesperson said that no structures or ski lifts have been affected by the blaze, which is at least a kilometer from any structures and five kilometers from the town of Whistler. Whistler Mountain remained open for summer activities today; Blackcomb facilities were closed. The Peak2Peak gondola operated for sightseeing, but there was no offloading on Blackcomb.

Rain Thursday night helped dampen the fire, shrinking it from 185 acres to 75 acres. The fire was downgraded from level four to level two on a six-point scale as of early Friday. However, high winds and more thunderstorms were expected Friday evening, so firefighters were not resting easy.

Prior to the lightning strike that sparked the fire, Whistler Blackcomb's lightning warning system allowed the resort to prepare to evacuate the mountain before the storms hit. The fire forced hikers and about 375 Whistler and Blackcomb staff off the mountain yesterday afternoon when frequent lightning strikes occurred.

Temperatures have been unseasonably warm in the area this week, and are expected to remain high over the next five days. Over the past week or so, small forest fires have popped up in dozens of other locations around Whistler and Blackcomb, as thunderstorms have been frequent. Most of these fires have been extinguished or brought under control quickly.