Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
National

Rain, Cool Weather Dampen B.C. Wildfires Ahead Of Aid Arriving From Down Under

The Canadian Press, 14 Jul, 2015 11:48 AM
    VANCOUVER — Australian wildfire specialists were expected to arrive in British Columbia on Monday, just as residents of a lakefront community threatened by an aggressive fire were finally allowed to return home.
     
    The Puntzi Lake fire, about 130 kilometres west of Williams Lake in B.C.'s central Interior, has destroyed buildings on four properties, including a hunting-and-fishing resort and two homes.
     
    It is one of 221 active wildfires burning across the province, said provincial fire information officer Navi Saini, adding rain and cooler weather on the weekend may have helped decrease the wildfire situation.
     
    She said a provincewide campfire ban remains in effect.
     
    Karen Powell of the Cariboo Fire Centre said about 12 millimetres of rain fell on the Puntzi Lake fire over the weekend, allowing crews to attack the fire's edge with heavy machinery. She said the fire is now about 80 square kilometres in size and 30 per cent contained.  
     
    Al Richmond of the Cariboo Regional District said an evacuation order was lifted for 30 properties on the lake's southern shore, but the order remains effective for 60 other properties.
     
    "Things are looking better, but we're cautiously optimistic," Richmond said. "A couple of days of cool weather would really help us but a return to hot, dry weather and we get winds again, then we are concerned.”
     
    Richmond said people who were returning home Monday do not live in the same area where the buildings burned and will remain on evacuation alert.
     
    The smoke has cleared but the homes are without power, though BC Hydro was trying to restore it, he said.
     
     
    Saini said the Australian fire crews were expected to arrive in the province Monday afternoon.
     
    "For the most part, these 50 personnel are highly trained specialists more at the command and co-ordination side of things," she said, adding they will not be actively fighting fires.
     
    Sixteen of them will help co-ordinate fire camps, she said, and the others will perform jobs such as co-ordinating helicopters and analyzing fire behaviour. 
     
    "They will be briefed in Chilliwack on Tuesday and Wednesday this week before being sent out into the field."
     
    Last year, 73 Australians assisted wildfire efforts, costing B.C. about $2.5 million, she said.
     
    "We have a reciprocal agreement in place, so we in British Columbia have also offered help to Australia in previous busy fire seasons."
     
    Since April 1, the BC Wildfire Service has recorded 1,073 fires that have burned about 283,500 hectares and cost about $108 million to fight.
     
    In contrast, 477 fires had burned 24,000 hectares at a cost of $44 million at the same time last year, Saini said.
     
    About 2,500 people are currently battling wildfires, including 1,000 contract personnel, along with two amphibious aircraft from Ontario, she said.
     
    The long-term weather forecast is calling for widespread showers in many southern and central areas of the province, she said.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Generosity Passed On: Edmonton Bar Servers Decide To Donate $1,000 Tip To Charity

    Generosity Passed On: Edmonton Bar Servers Decide To Donate $1,000 Tip To Charity
    Servers at Hudsons on the popular Whyte Avenue strip were given $1,000 last Thursday night by someone who said he had enjoyed the service.

    Generosity Passed On: Edmonton Bar Servers Decide To Donate $1,000 Tip To Charity

    Canadian Woman Who Joined Militia Fighting Islamic State Returns To Israel

    JERUSALEM — A Canadian-born woman who served in the Israeli military and later joined a Kurdish militia fighting the Islamic State group has returned to Israel.

    Canadian Woman Who Joined Militia Fighting Islamic State Returns To Israel

    French Tourist In His 80s Dies After Attack In Quebec City

    French Tourist In His 80s Dies After Attack In Quebec City
    The two were found lying on the ground and were taken to hospital after the assault at an apartment building Sunday night.

    French Tourist In His 80s Dies After Attack In Quebec City

    Transportation Safety Board To Probe Generator-Room Fire Aboard Vessel At Fraser Surrey Docks

    Transportation Safety Board To Probe Generator-Room Fire Aboard Vessel At Fraser Surrey Docks
    RICHMOND, B.C. — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is sending a team to the Fraser Surrey Docks after a ship fire put a section of the facility temporarily out of commission over the weekend.

    Transportation Safety Board To Probe Generator-Room Fire Aboard Vessel At Fraser Surrey Docks

    Fatal Okanagan Crash Kills Two Women And Puts Couple In Hospital Over Weekend

    Fatal Okanagan Crash Kills Two Women And Puts Couple In Hospital Over Weekend
    Police in Vernon, B.C., say a vehicle veered into the oncoming lane on Highway 97 early Sunday.

    Fatal Okanagan Crash Kills Two Women And Puts Couple In Hospital Over Weekend

    Common Sense Or Not? Peggy's Cove Safety Concerns Spark Heated Debate

    Common Sense Or Not? Peggy's Cove Safety Concerns Spark Heated Debate
    After two men slipped into the swirling waters of the Atlantic Ocean off Peggy's Cove in recent months, a debate over safety has hinged on whether common sense should be enough to protect people from the natural dangers at the popular tourist destination

    Common Sense Or Not? Peggy's Cove Safety Concerns Spark Heated Debate