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

Police warning of scammers posing as Calgary officers to steal thousands of dollars

Police warning of scammers posing as Calgary officers to steal thousands of dollars
Calgary police say people can verify an officer’s identity by requesting to see a badge, as well as a badge number and a photo ID card. People can also call the police non-emergency number to verify an officer’s identity.

Police warning of scammers posing as Calgary officers to steal thousands of dollars

Strong home sales continue for Vancouver

Strong home sales continue for Vancouver
The board says that's up 1.3 per cent in a single month -- although it's still more than two per cent below the benchmark price set one year ago. Overall, the board says the housing market "continues to outperform expectations," -- with the apartment or condo market eclipsing slightly slower sales in the townhouse and detached home sectors.

Strong home sales continue for Vancouver

Updated legislation aims to tackle discrimination in public service: PSC

Updated legislation aims to tackle discrimination in public service: PSC
The Public Service Commission will also have more resources to investigate mistakes or misconduct that affect their hiring processes. Previously amendments took affect that revised the job qualifications for members of equity-seeking groups and ensured permanent residents were given the same hiring preferences as Canadian citizens.

Updated legislation aims to tackle discrimination in public service: PSC

Canadians eligible for GST credit expected to receive 'grocery rebate' today

Canadians eligible for GST credit expected to receive 'grocery rebate' today
Canadians eligible for the GST credit are expected to receive a special payment today to help with the rising cost of groceries. The payment, which the Liberal government is calling the grocery rebate, was promised in the spring budget to help Canadians cope with food inflation.

Canadians eligible for GST credit expected to receive 'grocery rebate' today

B.C. port strike enters day five, with talks deadlocked over maintenance

B.C. port strike enters day five, with talks deadlocked over maintenance
The BC Maritime Employers Association meanwhile says the union is trying to "aggressively expand" its control of maintenance duties far beyond an agreement that the association says has been "legally well established for decades."

B.C. port strike enters day five, with talks deadlocked over maintenance

Tuesday set an unofficial record for the hottest day on Earth. Wednesday may break it.

Tuesday set an unofficial record for the hottest day on Earth. Wednesday may break it.
The planet's temperature spiked on Tuesday to its hottest day in at least 44 years and likely much longer, and Wednesday could become the third straight day Earth unofficially marks a record-breaking high, the latest in a series of climate-change extremes that alarm but don't surprise scientists

Tuesday set an unofficial record for the hottest day on Earth. Wednesday may break it.