Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

Rain across B.C. Interior aids wildfire fight in Okanagan, Shuswap and Fraser Canyon

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 31 Aug, 2023 09:41 AM
  • Rain across B.C. Interior aids wildfire fight in Okanagan, Shuswap and Fraser Canyon

Widespread rain in the forecast today throughout much of British Columbia's southern Interior is expected to aid firefighters pushing back against a number of major wildfires in the region.

The Columbia Shuswap Regional District says while cooler weather brought winds that may increase fire behaviour at the Bush Creek East blaze near Chase, the rain is "creating conditions for firefighters to increase their attack" on the fire now measuring 431 square kilometres.

Environment Canada weather radar showed light-to-medium precipitation was falling this morning from Merritt to Salmon Arm, stretching over parts of the Fraser Canyon, Central Okanagan and Shuswap regions.

Forecasts call for showers to continue until at least noon for communities including Kelowna, Lytton and Salmon Arm, all adjacent to major wildfires that have forced evacuation orders.

The cool, wet weather has already tempered blazes such as McDougall Creek in the Central Okanagan, Ross Moore Lake south of Kamloops and the Kookipi Creek fire near Lytton.

Officials in both the Thompson-Nicola and the Fraser Valley regional districts downgraded a number of evacuation orders linked to the Kookipi Creek wildfire to alerts yesterday, with the BC Wildfire Service saying some parts of the fire received up to 16 millimetres of rain.

Evacuation orders were also downgraded to alerts in the Bear Creek Road area of West Kelowna in relations to the McDougall Creek fire, as well as in Turtle Valley in the Thompson-Nicola region close to the Bush Creek East blaze.

In addition, previous alerts for residents to be prepared for evacuation on short notice have been outright cancelled in parts of Westbank First Nation and the Boucherie Industrial Area in the Central Okanagan.

The BC Wildfire Service website shows 422 active fires across the province, with 195 burning out of control and 12 listed as "fires of note" due to their high visibility or potential threat to the public.

This year's record wildfire season has already burned 19,111 square kilometres of land in B.C., with 72 per cent of the more than 2,000 fires recorded so far being triggered by lightning.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Street expansion coming for Surrey

Street expansion coming for Surrey
City council in Surrey has awarded a contract for designing the widening of 132nd Street between 72nd Avenue to 80th Avenue. The city says in a news release that the expansion to four lanes aims to improve traffic and safety.

Street expansion coming for Surrey

Shooting in Richmond leaves one dead

Shooting in Richmond leaves one dead
A shooting in Richmond  has left one man dead, and police are investigating whether a nearby car fire is related to the case. Richmond RCMP were called to Milner Road at Blundell Road at 5:45 p.m. Thursday for reports of a shooting.  

Shooting in Richmond leaves one dead

3 arrested in Surrey SkyTrain attack

3 arrested in Surrey SkyTrain attack
Surrey transit police say the investigation of an attack on three men near a Surrey SkyTrain station has led to three arrests. Police say the alleged unprovoked stabbing attack on three men happened the evening of June 21st.  

3 arrested in Surrey SkyTrain attack

Let's make a deal, Canada urges U.S. amid latest 'baseless' softwood lumber duties

Let's make a deal, Canada urges U.S. amid latest 'baseless' softwood lumber duties
International Trade Minister Mary Ng is making the overture after a fresh U.S. Commerce Department review maintained duties on softwood imports from Canada. Ng says the duties, while modestly lower, remain an unfair, baseless and punitive measure that hurts the economy on both sides of the border. 

Let's make a deal, Canada urges U.S. amid latest 'baseless' softwood lumber duties

B.C. police share photos of vehicles possibly being used in alleged abduction of kids

B.C. police share photos of vehicles possibly being used in alleged abduction of kids
Mounties in Surrey say they continue to investigate leads and tips in their search for eight-year-old Aurora Bolton and her 10-year-old brother Joshuah, who were allegedly abducted by their mother Verity Bolton earlier this month. 

B.C. police share photos of vehicles possibly being used in alleged abduction of kids

B.C. RCMP arrest Surrey massage therapist on multiple sex assaults

B.C. RCMP arrest Surrey massage therapist on multiple sex assaults
A massage therapist is facing multiple sexual assault charges for what police in Surrey, B.C., say are allegations that span a 16-year period. RCMP say they first received a report in November 2021 about alleged sexual assaults occurring in 2016 and 2017 involving massage therapist Leonard Krekic.  

B.C. RCMP arrest Surrey massage therapist on multiple sex assaults