Close X
Saturday, November 23, 2024
ADVT 
National

Record wildfire season in B.C. for area burned with almost 400 fires in the province

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 18 Jul, 2023 09:47 AM
  • Record wildfire season in B.C. for area burned with almost 400 fires in the province

British Columbia's disastrous wildfire season has set a new record for the total area burned in a year, with almost 14,000 square kilometres scorched and hundreds of fires burning across the province.

The B.C. Wildfire Service website says 13,935 square kilometres have been burned since April 1, surpassing the previous record of 13,543 square kilometres set in 2018.

But there are still months to go in this year's season and the service says there are almost 400 fires currently burning.

There have been 1,186 fires so far this year, suggesting the average size of the fires this year has been 84 per cent larger than in 2018.

Bowinn Ma, minister of emergency management, said in a statement Tuesday that this fire season has been the most persistent on record. 

"We know that the road ahead of us is long, complex and challenging," she said. 

Canadian Armed Forces troops are arriving in B.C. this week to join the battle, bringing helicopters and a Hercules aircraft, while the province has asked for 1,000 more international firefighters to join crews from Mexico, the United States and Australia already on the ground.

Ma said she's thankful the federal government quickly approved the request. 

"This support is substantial, robust and will give British Columbia the tools and personnel it needs to keep people safe."

Dozens of properties have been put on evacuation order or alert in the Kootenay region in B.C.'s southeast after new wildfires near Cranbrook temporarily shut the city's airport.

MORE National ARTICLES

New process for multiple offers on a home

New process for multiple offers on a home
In a market that has been characterized by limited properties for sale and multiple bids for those listings, realtors say the new form will "bring comfort" to prospective buyers that their offer was fairly presented.

New process for multiple offers on a home

Workers to rally on day six of B.C. port strike, employer seeks binding arbitration

Workers to rally on day six of B.C. port strike, employer seeks binding arbitration
About 7,400 members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union have been off the job since Canada Day to back demands for improved wages and provisions against contracting out and automation. The mid-morning demonstration is organized by the union and billed as a solidarity rally, with members reminded that there is pride, strength and commitment in numbers.  

Workers to rally on day six of B.C. port strike, employer seeks binding arbitration

Deadly crash in the Okanagan

Deadly crash in the Okanagan
The B-C Highway Patrol says it's investigating a deadly crash involving a pedestrian in the Okanagan over the Canada Day long weekend.  Police say they were called to the crash around noon last Saturday, where a car hit a pedestrian in a crosswalk on Highway 97-A in Enderby, B-C. 

Deadly crash in the Okanagan

Heat wave to hit BC

Heat wave to hit BC
Fraser Heath says a coming heat wave is set to hit B-C's Fraser Canyon, warning of temperatures forecasted to hit the mid-30s into the weekend. The health authority says Environment and Climate Change Canada's heat warning covers the communities of Lytton, North Bend, Boston Bar, Yale, Othello and Sunshine Valley.   

Heat wave to hit BC

Surrey RCMP say one person injured in shooting, believed linked to drug trade

Surrey RCMP say one person injured in shooting, believed linked to drug trade
One person is being treated in hospital for a non-life-threatening injury after a shooting in Surrey, B.C., Wednesday afternoon. Police were called to the 80 Avenue and Fleetwood Park area just before 6 p.m. for reports of two groups of men shooting at each other.

Surrey RCMP say one person injured in shooting, believed linked to drug trade

Victims of fatal 2021 B.C. library stabbing describe shattered lives at sentencing

Victims of fatal 2021 B.C. library stabbing describe shattered lives at sentencing
Yannick Bandaogo, 30, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and several attempted murder charges earlier this year. Several victims spoke before Justice Geoffrey R.J. Gaul of the B.C. Supreme Court on Wednesday, including the mother of the lone victim killed in the attack.  

Victims of fatal 2021 B.C. library stabbing describe shattered lives at sentencing