Close X
Thursday, November 14, 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

B.C. health registry expansion aims to connect patients with family doctors: minister

B.C. health registry expansion aims to connect patients with family doctors: minister
Health Minister Adrian Dix says the expanded Health Connect Registry, which launched July 1, aims to make it easier for B.C. patients to get a family doctor or nurse practitioner in their community by signing up for a primary-care provider.

B.C. health registry expansion aims to connect patients with family doctors: minister

Delta woman charged with fraud

Delta woman charged with fraud
31-year-old Tarndeep Uppal, of North Delta, has been charged with one count of theft of credit card and identity information. Fourteen counts of fraud under $5000. Uppal has been released with conditions not to possess credit cards, identification or data in any other name but her own.

Delta woman charged with fraud

B.C. officials warn of lightning-caused wildfires expected this week

B.C. officials warn of lightning-caused wildfires expected this week
Cliff Chapman, operations director for the BC Wildfire Service, said the lightning that's expected to be "widespread" across the province is more likely to hit higher, mountainous terrain, but strikes are also possible in or around communities.

B.C. officials warn of lightning-caused wildfires expected this week

Provincial climate action tax credit being distributed

Provincial climate action tax credit being distributed
The finance ministry says payments are set to arrive in the bank accounts of more than two million people after the province increased credit payments to help offset inflation.   

Provincial climate action tax credit being distributed

City councillor in Merritt, B.C., struck and killed in apparent hit-and-run: mayor

City councillor in Merritt, B.C., struck and killed in apparent hit-and-run: mayor
The mayor of Merritt, B.C., says a city councillor has been killed in an apparent hit-and-run crash outside another community. Mayor Michael Goetz says he understands Coun. Claire Newman had been on her way to meet her husband ahead of a planned trip to Alaska to visit an ailing friend.

City councillor in Merritt, B.C., struck and killed in apparent hit-and-run: mayor

RCMP officer says he forgot to record B.C. murder suspect's arrest after car crash

RCMP officer says he forgot to record B.C. murder suspect's arrest after car crash
The police officer who arrested a man accused of murdering a 13-year-old girl found dead in a Burnaby, B.C., park six years ago says no recording of the arrest exists because he forgot to switch on his recorder when a police car crashed into another vehicle at the scene. 

RCMP officer says he forgot to record B.C. murder suspect's arrest after car crash