Close X
Saturday, November 23, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. wildfire tally surges as firefighters take to air to battle blazes

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 24 Jul, 2024 10:11 AM
  • B.C. wildfire tally surges as firefighters take to air to battle blazes

The numbers seem ever increasing for British Columbia wildfire statistics, including more than 400 fires, tens of thousands of lightning strikes and at least six homes lost.

The homes were in the Venables Valley, and Colton Davies with the Thompson-Nicola Regional District says they were among 20 buildings destroyed by the Shetland Creek wildfire. 

The BC Wildfire Service says recent thunderstorms brought 58,000 lightning strikes, and they expect to see new fire starts from those over the next few days. 

More than 80 per cent of current wildfires were started by lightning and about two-thirds of the fires remain out of control. 

The wildfire service says local planes and helicopters as well as aircraft from the Yukon, Ontario, Quebec and Alaska have joined the fire fight, with almost 100 airtanker missions from July 18 to 21 dropping 5.4 million litres of suppressant.

People using bodies of water near out-of-control fires such as Shawnigan Lake adjacent to the Old Man Lake wildfire on Vancouver Island have been warned to "keep well away" from aircraft either skimming water or operating otherwise in the area.

The B.C. Ministry of Emergency Management says about 470 properties have been ordered evacuated, while another 3,100 properties are on alert. 

These are the facts about British Columbia's wildfire situation, according to the BC Wildfire Service dashboard at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Wildfires of note: Four. Shetland Creek fire, Kamloops Fire Centre; Antler Creek fire, Cariboo Fire Centre; Aylwin Creek fire, Southeast Fire Centre; Komonko Creek fire, Southeast Fire Centre.

Fires started in last 24 hours: 82

Out-of-control fires: 260

Active fire causes: Lightning 80 per cent, human 6 per cent, undetermined 14 per cent (percentages are rounded)

Firefighting staff deployed: 1,170

Aircraft deployed: 193

Area burned since April 1: 8,106 square kilometres 

MORE National ARTICLES

Voters head to polls for Toronto byelection, all eyes on whether Liberals hold seat

Voters head to polls for Toronto byelection, all eyes on whether Liberals hold seat
Residents of Toronto—St Paul's will head to the polls today to vote for a new member of parliament for their riding, with observers watching to see if the Liberals can hang on to the seat they've held for the last 10 elections. The byelection was prompted by the resignation of former Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett, who held the seat for more than 25 years and was recently appointed ambassador to Denmark. 

Voters head to polls for Toronto byelection, all eyes on whether Liberals hold seat

Body found in a Kelowna park

Body found in a Kelowna park
Police are still investigating the cause of death of a woman whose body was found at a Kelowna park on Friday. Mounties say the 28-year-old was found on the shores of Okanagan Lake in Waterfront Park.

Body found in a Kelowna park

Motorcyclist dies in crash

Motorcyclist dies in crash
A motorcyclist has died following a crash in North Vancouver on Saturday night. The North Vancouver R-C-M-P say in a social media post that the motorcycle was the only vehicle involved in the crash that killed the man on Low Level Road.

Motorcyclist dies in crash

B.C. launches class-action lawsuit against makers of 'forever chemicals'

B.C. launches class-action lawsuit against makers of 'forever chemicals'
The British Columbia government says it has filed a class-action lawsuit against manufacturers of so-called "forever chemicals" involved in what it calls widespread contamination of drinking-water systems. Attorney General Niki Sharma says the province is the first Canadian jurisdiction to sue makers of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

B.C. launches class-action lawsuit against makers of 'forever chemicals'

Body found near Kelowna

Body found near Kelowna
R-C-M-P say a woman's body has been found in Waterfront Park near downtown Kelowna on the shores of Okanagan Lake. The Mounties say they're working with the B-C Coroners Service to identify the woman and determine the cause of her death. 

Body found near Kelowna

B.C. police warn of safety risk after male arrested for manslaughter, then released

B.C. police warn of safety risk after male arrested for manslaughter, then released
Police in Sicamous are warning of a "potential public safety risk" after a male was arrested then released with conditions over the death of a woman at a mobile home park. RCMP say 66-year-old Jo Ann Jackson was treated by paramedics at the driveway of a home in the park on Wednesday but died at the scene.

B.C. police warn of safety risk after male arrested for manslaughter, then released