Close X
Monday, November 11, 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

Ottawa could help health care with better international recruiting, Smith says

Ottawa could help health care with better international recruiting, Smith says
Improving health care is not just a matter of money and transfers from Ottawa to the provinces, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Tuesday. Health care is one of the main topics at the three-day meeting this week. The premiers also met with health worker representatives.

Ottawa could help health care with better international recruiting, Smith says

RCMP search for puppy, Lil Bit, stolen in alleged home invasion in Surrey, B.C.

RCMP search for puppy, Lil Bit, stolen in alleged home invasion in Surrey, B.C.
Police in Surrey, B.C., are appealing for public help to find a puppy that was stolen during an alleged home invasion robbery. They say the six-month-old female miniature pinscher and Shih Tzu cross named Lil Bit was snatched when two people forced their way into a home on 147A Street last month and made off with the residents' belongings.

RCMP search for puppy, Lil Bit, stolen in alleged home invasion in Surrey, B.C.

Multiple charges as 27-year-old accused in crash that killed two B.C. teens

Multiple charges as 27-year-old accused in crash that killed two B.C. teens
A statement from Metro Vancouver Transit Police says Cory Brown faces two counts of criminal negligence causing death, one count of driving while disqualified and one count of flight from police. He remains in custody and is expected to return to court on July 19.  

Multiple charges as 27-year-old accused in crash that killed two B.C. teens

Get another COVID-19 booster in the fall, Canada's immunization panel recommends

Get another COVID-19 booster in the fall, Canada's immunization panel recommends
NACI continues to strongly recommend that anyone five years of age and older who hasn't yet been vaccinated should be immunized with a primary two-dose series of an mRNA vaccine. It also has a "discretionary recommendation" that children six months to five years of age who haven't yet been vaccinated get the two-dose primary series of an mRNA vaccine.

Get another COVID-19 booster in the fall, Canada's immunization panel recommends

Southbound surges of U.S. agents causing delays, 'disarray' at Canada-U.S. border

Southbound surges of U.S. agents causing delays, 'disarray' at Canada-U.S. border
New York Democrat Rep. Brian Higgins says Customs and Border Protection personnel are being temporarily reassigned to help fortify the U.S. border with Mexico. Higgins says as a result, busy points of entry along the Canada-U.S. border are seeing longer delays and unstaffed kiosks. 

Southbound surges of U.S. agents causing delays, 'disarray' at Canada-U.S. border

NATO leaders agree to spend at least two per cent of their countries' GDP on defence

NATO leaders agree to spend at least two per cent of their countries' GDP on defence
A statement released this afternoon in Vilnius, Lithuania, says NATO members pledge to make two per cent of GDP the minimum spend each year, with one-fifth of that going to equipment.

NATO leaders agree to spend at least two per cent of their countries' GDP on defence