Close X
Sunday, November 10, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. heat triggers burst of fire activity, new evacuation order in central Interior

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 11 Jul, 2024 09:44 AM
  • B.C. heat triggers burst of fire activity, new evacuation order in central Interior

British Columbia's wildfire service says forest fuels are more susceptible to fire starts after seven consecutive days of extreme heat, with new blazes prompting two new evacuation orders in recent days.

The latest spans a portion of the District of Wells, about 80 kilometres east of Quesnel in the province's central Interior, where the BC Wildfire Service map shows a cluster of more than two dozen new fires in the area.

The district issued the order at 10 p.m. Wednesday night, saying the 70-hectare Cornish Mountain wildfire is a threat to life and safety, and residents must leave right away.

The order covers the Eight- and Nine-Mile Lake Areas, Cornish Lake, and Mine Sites areas, while an evacuation alert is in effect for the rest of the district.

In northeastern B.C., the Fort Nelson First Nation issued an evacuation order Tuesday for its Kahntah reserve, telling residents they had to leave by boat due to the threat of an out-of-control blaze discovered the day before.

There are nearly 150 active wildfires in B.C., up from fewer than 100 at the start of the week, with two considered fires of note, meaning they are either highly visible or pose a threat to safety or infrastructure.

The BC Wildfire Service says smoke from the two-square-kilometre Little Oliver Creek fire will be visible from Highway 16 and the Terrace, B.C. area.

The 3.5-square-kilometre Hook Creek fire is meanwhile burning out of control to the north, near a stretch of the Alaska Highway along the boundary with Yukon.

While temperatures have cooled to more seasonal levels along B.C.'s coast, Environment Canada is maintaining heat warnings for much of the southern Interior and southeast corner of the province.

A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for the Fort Nelson area which has been the epicentre for drought and fire activity so far this year.

MORE National ARTICLES

Fatal house fire north of Kamloops

Fatal house fire north of Kamloops
One person is dead and another was taken to hospital after a house fire in the Blackpool area, about 115 kilometres north of Kamloops. A statement from the Thompson-Nicola Regional District says the home was fully engulfed when firefighters responded to the blaze yesterday. 

Fatal house fire north of Kamloops

Arrest of 12 year olds in Port Moody

Arrest of 12 year olds in Port Moody
Police in Port Moody say two 12-year-old boys have been arrested and released with conditions after they allegedly assaulted a girl at a SkyTrain station. Police say they were notified on Tuesday of a video circulating in the community depicting an assault at the Moody Centre station the day before.

Arrest of 12 year olds in Port Moody

B.C. creates a special homicide unit as gangs involved in 46 per cent of murders

B.C. creates a special homicide unit as gangs involved in 46 per cent of murders
British Columbia is forming a specialized gang-related homicide investigation team, saying gangland murders now make up almost 50 per cent of the killings in the province. Data from the Ministry of Public Safety says gang-related homicides have climbed from 21 per cent of all killings in the province in 2003 to 46 per cent last year.

B.C. creates a special homicide unit as gangs involved in 46 per cent of murders

Business groups walk back claim on share of Canadians hit by capital gains changes

Business groups walk back claim on share of Canadians hit by capital gains changes
Prominent business groups are backtracking their claim that one in five Canadians would be affected by the federal government's proposed changes to capital gains taxation.

Business groups walk back claim on share of Canadians hit by capital gains changes

London Drugs president warns that cyber attackers 'constantly probing for weaknesses'

London Drugs president warns that cyber attackers 'constantly probing for weaknesses'
The president of London Drugs doesn't know why the company was targeted in a cyber attack that forced it to close its stores for more than week, but Clint Mahlman says hackers with sophisticated methods are "constantly probing for weaknesses" of online systems.

London Drugs president warns that cyber attackers 'constantly probing for weaknesses'

Start of wildfire season better than last year, but risk is high as drought continues

Start of wildfire season better than last year, but risk is high as drought continues
The start to wildfire season has been far less dramatic than it was last year but the risk of hot, dry weather and severe fires remains high, officials warned Thursday.

Start of wildfire season better than last year, but risk is high as drought continues