Close X
Sunday, November 24, 2024
ADVT 
National

More than 250 wildfires in B.C. as hot and dry weather persists

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 19 Jul, 2024 09:39 AM
  • More than 250 wildfires in B.C. as hot and dry weather persists

More than 250 wildfires are burning in British Columbia as much of the province continues to bake under a heat wave that is expected to last into next week.

Cliff Chapman with the BC Wildfire Service said Thursday the province appeared to be "on the precipice of a very challenging 72 hours" with hot and dry weather, dry lightning and strong winds forecast.

Scores of new fires have started since Thursday.

The out-of-control Shetland Creek fire in the southern Interior is currently the only blaze considered a "wildfire of note," meaning it is highly visible or poses a potential threat to public safety or infrastructure.

The blaze spans more than 57 kilometres square, up from about 50 on Thursday.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has expanded an evacuation order in the area to cover about 85 properties in the Venables Valley area, while the Cook's Ferry Indian Band has issued orders for several reserves.

Residents of another 170 properties are subject to an evacuation alert, with the district telling them to be ready to leave on short notice.

The surge in wildfire activity comes as Environment Canada maintains 29 heat warnings spanning most of the southern Interior and stretching up through central B.C. into the northeast, along with inland sections of the north and central coasts.

The weather office says much of the Interior is expected to see temperatures in the 30s over the coming days, along with overnight lows in the mid-teens.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Good Earth light bars recalled due to fire, burn hazards

Good Earth light bars recalled due to fire, burn hazards
Health Canada and Good Earth Lighting are recalling some rechargeable LED motion-activated light bars because they pose a fire and burn hazard. The affected light bars are 12 inches long and were sold between October 2017 and January 2024.

Good Earth light bars recalled due to fire, burn hazards

A no from me': Ali refuses to hear B.C. murder victim's father ahead of sentencing

A no from me': Ali refuses to hear B.C. murder victim's father ahead of sentencing
A man convicted of murdering a 13-year-old Burnaby, B.C., girl has repeatedly told a pre-sentencing hearing that he didn't kill her, after refusing to listen to his interpreter during an impact statement by the girl's father. A portion of the recorded statement was being played to test equipment ahead of Friday's sentencing hearing for Ibrahim Ali, who faces a life term for the 2017 killing.

A no from me': Ali refuses to hear B.C. murder victim's father ahead of sentencing

Drop in drug overdose deaths

Drop in drug overdose deaths
Drug overdose deaths are down by 24 per cent between April last year and this April, but still B-C’s Coroner says 182 people died. Fentanyl remains the primary killer, with the drug detected in 82 per cent of test results for those who died so far this year. 

Drop in drug overdose deaths

Vancouver police crack down on stolen goods that turn up on downtown sidewalks

Vancouver police crack down on stolen goods that turn up on downtown sidewalks
Vancouver police say a crackdown on the sale of stolen goods that turn up on the sidewalks of the city's Downtown Eastside has led to five arrests and turned up more than $650,000 in cash, drugs and stolen property. Insp. Mario Mastropieri says a shoplifting "epidemic" is fuelling an illicit market in stolen goods run by organized criminals, that's affecting small businesses, their staff, and customers.

Vancouver police crack down on stolen goods that turn up on downtown sidewalks

Vancouver mayor grieves stabbing death of 32-year-old chef near Chinatown

Vancouver mayor grieves stabbing death of 32-year-old chef near Chinatown
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has issued a statement saying police are working tirelessly to find the person responsible for a fatal stabbing near the city's Chinatown early Wednesday.  Sim says the city is grieving the loss of 32-year-old Wataru Kakiuchi, a talented chef in a Yaletown Japanese restaurant. 

Vancouver mayor grieves stabbing death of 32-year-old chef near Chinatown

Police in B.C. arrest two for theft of $2.5M worth of stolen vehicles

Police in B.C. arrest two for theft of $2.5M worth of stolen vehicles
Two men face more than a dozen charges each after British Columbia's provincial auto crime team recovered 29 high-end vehicles valued at $2.5 million. RCMP say in a news release that they started their investigation in February when numerous newer-model trucks and SUVs were stolen across the Lower Mainland.

Police in B.C. arrest two for theft of $2.5M worth of stolen vehicles