Squamish Fire Rescue is reporting there were no injuries connected to the major rockfall from the Grand Wall of the Stawamus Chief on Sunday.
Deputy Fire Chief Aaron Foote said in an emailed statement that fire crews were dispatched to the site of the fall after a report of smoke from the area.
It turned out the reported smoke was in fact dust being kicked up by the crashing rocks.
“There were no indications of any injuries,” Foote wrote to The Chief.
On June 27, a video posted to Twitter showed a cloud of dust drifting up from the base of the wall, presumably where the rocks fell.
Rocks are believed to have fallen from an area near the iconic Split Pillar that day.
As of 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, Squamish Search and Rescue manager B.J. Chute said rescuers had not received any callouts resulting from the incident.
The fall arrives as Squamish sets record high temperatures during a heatwave.
While the exact cause of the rockfall hasn’t been determined, a study by the United States Geological Survey, or USGS, found that high temperatures can create conditions for such incidents.
The daily heating and cooling of the rock can cause cracks to open and close, potentially leading to stress and destabilization.
Big noise off the Chief as something came down! #squamish pic.twitter.com/n8G60rSu3D
— Andrew Georgy-Embree (@aembree) June 27, 2021
