Oil spill washes ashore on West Vancouver beaches

The District of West Vancouver is warning the public to stay away from oil-polluted water off several local beaches as oil from the spill in English Bay reached West Vancouver beaches Thursday evening.

Municipal staff began posting signs at beaches Thursday evening including Ambleside and Dundarave as a plume from the oil spill was carried across Burrard Inlet.

"There is oil on some beaches," said Jeff McDonald, spokesman for the District of West Vancouver Thursday night. Beaches where oil has been spotted include Sandy Cove, Stearman and Ambleside.

The fuel, believed to be bunker oil that spilled from an anchored freighter Wednesday evening is considered possibly harmful and could cause irritation to skin and eyes.

West Vancouver staff warned the public not to swim at local beaches, and to avoid contact with the oil, water and wet sand.

Clean up of West Vancouver beaches is expected to begin first thing Friday morning, said McDonald.

Authorities were first alerted to an oil spill from a freighter anchored off English Bay around 5 p.m. Wednesday, when a boater reported seeing an oily sheen on the water, said Julia Ren, a spokeswoman with Port Metro Vancouver.

At the time, We were told (the oil) was light and unrecoverable, said Ren.

Only later in the evening did the authorities realize the oil was thicker and the spill more serious than first thought.

Crews set up a containment boom around the grain ship Mathahassa sometime after 9 p.m. and began emergency cleanup operations.

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Oil spill washes ashore on West Vancouver beaches

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