National

More evacuation orders coming down around West Kelowna, B.C., wildfire

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 14 Sep, 2023 12:06 PM

The area under evacuation order around a wildfire in West Kelowna, B.C., is gradually shrinking.

The Central Okanagan emergency operations centre says residents of 16 properties along Bear Creek Road are allowed to go home, although they remain on evacuation alert and must be ready to leave again if the McDougall Creek wildfire flares.

As a ridge rebuilds on Thursday and Friday, increased temps low humidity and strong winds will likely increase fire behaviour and smoke starting on Friday. Torching and intermittent crowning may occur, with growth expected on larger fires in the zone through Friday and Saturday.
— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) September 13, 2023

Evacuation orders were lifted for more than two dozen other properties on Wednesday, weeks after thousands of residents were chased out by the fast-moving wildfire.

The centre says about 350 properties are still under evacuation order and close to 5,000 are on evacuation alert as the fire remains out of control, nearly a month after it was reported.

About half of the 400 structures or homes that were destroyed in B.C.'s wildfires this summer were lost in the Kelowna area.

There are almost 400 fires are still burning in the province in what has been a record season for area burned, and about 160 of those fires remain out of control.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Canada's first case of new COVID variant is detected in B.C.

The BC Centre for Disease Control has detected Canada's first known case of a new COVID-19 variant that has swiftly circled the globe and is being monitored by the World Health Organization. The centre said the BA. 2.86 variant of the Omicron strain was identified in a person from the Fraser Health region who hadn't recently been outside the province.

Canada's first case of new COVID variant is detected in B.C.

PNE bids farewell to its 6 decades old Amphitheatre

The P-N-E Amphitheatre is shutting its doors after almost 60 years in operation, making way for the construction of a new facility scheduled to open in 2026. A statement from the Pacific National Exhibition says the last show at the venue will be a Blue Rodeo concert on Labour Day, with one show scheduled for each night this week leading up to September 4.

PNE bids farewell to its 6 decades old Amphitheatre

Housing market remains pricey

The B-C Real Estate Association says residential property prices in the province have risen despite a drop in sales this year, owing to low inventory on the market. The B-C-R-E-A says in its third quarter forecast that home sales in the province through Multiple Listing Service are expected to fall by 2.8 per cent this year to just over 78-thousand units.

Housing market remains pricey

B.C. on pace for deadliest year in drug crisis as July brings another 198 deaths

British Columbia is on pace for the deadliest year in its unregulated toxic-drug crisis, with the BC Coroners Service saying another 198 deaths were reported in July. It says there have been at least 1,455 deaths in the first seven months of 2023, the most ever recorded.

B.C. on pace for deadliest year in drug crisis as July brings another 198 deaths

Man dies in 'gang-related' shooting in Mission

Homicide investigators say the victim of what they suspect was a targeted gang shooting in Mission, B.C., has died of his injuries. The Independent Homicide Investigation Team says the 45-year-old man was found wounded late Monday at Mission's Laminman Avenue after reports of gunfire.

Man dies in 'gang-related' shooting in Mission

Rain relief in sight for B.C. south and Interior as northeast swelters

Large portions of northeastern British Columbia continue to swelter a day after some areas hit daily record temperatures, as the forecast for rain in the south and Interior brought the promise of relief for some wildfire zones.