Close X
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. wildfire crews battle blaze in ancient forest park with 1,000-year-old trees

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 12 Jul, 2024 10:01 AM
  • B.C. wildfire crews battle blaze in ancient forest park with 1,000-year-old trees

British Columbia's wildfire service says crews are battling a 10-hectare blaze in a park that protects a portion of what the province calls the "only inland temperate rainforest in the world," with trees 1,000 years old.

The Ancient Forest or Chun T'oh Whudujut Park is about 115 kilometres east of Prince George in the traditional territory of the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation.

It's currently closed due to the wildfire, with the wildfire service saying it's responding to multiple incidents in the park, with the largest fire spanning 10 hectares.

The service says in a statement on social media that initial attack crews are at the scene and a helipad and water relay system have been established. 

But it says the park's terrain, ecological and cultural values have challenged suppression efforts.

The blaze is one of about 150 across the province, a figure that's holding steady from Thursday following an eruption of wildfire activity this week.

A provincial situation report says temperatures are beginning to moderate across the north after a heat wave that left forest fuels susceptible to new starts.

Still, the wildfire service says southern B.C. remains hot and dry, and there's a risk of thunderstorms on Vancouver Island, the south coast and in the Interior.

Environment Canada is maintaining heat warnings for parts of the southern Interior, from the Fraser Canyon to Kelowna, Nelson to Cranbrook in the southeast.

A campfire ban is set to take effect across the province at noon, with the exception of Haida Gwaii.

Two evacuation orders remain in effect due to wildfires in B.C., one for the Fort Nelson First Nation's Kahntah reserve about 116 kilometres southeast of Fort Nelson, and another covering part of the District of Wells, east of Quesnel.

Meanwhile, the wildfire service no longer lists a fire in the Terrace area and another near the Yukon boundary as "wildfires of note," referring to blazes that are either highly visible or pose a threat to public safety or infrastructure.

Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma said Thursday that 500 of the province's full complement of 2,000 firefighters were deployed, but the government was seeking out-of-province help now in case the risk escalates further.

"By being proactive in our request for additional resources, we can ensure that the lag that it often takes for additional resources to come in from out of province doesn't impact our ability to protect communities," Ma told a briefing.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Spike in jobless rate: Stat Can

Spike in jobless rate: Stat Can
While Canada’s jobless rate jumped to 6.1 per cent in March, BC gained more jobs.  BC and Ontario were the only two provinces to report an increase in jobs last month, with 66-hundred more people employed in this province. 

Spike in jobless rate: Stat Can

Police 'deeply concerned' for infant allegedly taken by mother in Langley, B.C.

Police 'deeply concerned' for infant allegedly taken by mother in Langley, B.C.
RCMP say they're "deeply concerned" for the safety of an infant allegedly taken by his mother from a home in Langley, B.C.  Police set off an Amber Alert late Thursday after three-month-old Tyler Durocher was allegedly abducted from a home by his mother, 35-year-old Brianne Ford. 

Police 'deeply concerned' for infant allegedly taken by mother in Langley, B.C.

177 die in toxic drug deaths

177 die in toxic drug deaths
The BC Coroners Service says 177 people died in February due to "toxic, unregulated drugs." The service says at least 175 people have died because of the toxic drug supply in each of the last 20 consecutive months.

177 die in toxic drug deaths

Added protection for cyclists in BC

Added protection for cyclists in BC
BC's transportation ministry says it is implementing a new law that will give cyclists and pedestrians added protection on roads.  It says the changes, which come into effect on June 3rd, establish a new minimum distance of one metre that drivers must maintain when passing cyclists and other so-called vulnerable road users.

Added protection for cyclists in BC

Canadian missing in aftermath of Taiwan earthquake found safe

Canadian missing in aftermath of Taiwan earthquake found safe
Taiwan's Central News Agency says a Canadian missing after this week's powerful earthquake on the island's east coast has been found safe. The partially government-funded news agency, citing information from the Central Emergency Operation Center, says the Canadian man is now camped near a hotel in Taiwan's Taroko National Park.

Canadian missing in aftermath of Taiwan earthquake found safe

Trudeau announces $600 million in loans, funding to jump-start homebuilding, rentals

Trudeau announces $600 million in loans, funding to jump-start homebuilding, rentals
The federal Liberal government plans a $600-million package of loans and funding to help make it easier and cheaper to build homes for owners and renters. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is making the announcement in Calgary, just the latest in a string of pre-budget announcements aimed at winning over younger voters.

Trudeau announces $600 million in loans, funding to jump-start homebuilding, rentals