Close X
Friday, November 29, 2024
ADVT 
National

Winds play key role as wildfire continues to threaten Osoyoos, B.C.

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 31 Jul, 2023 09:44 AM
  • Winds play key role as wildfire continues to threaten Osoyoos, B.C.

Winds will likely be a major factor in the battle to save the southern British Columbia town of Osoyoos from a raging wildfire, but the latest forecast offers some hope.

Environment Canada is calling for northwest winds through the day before gusts of 20 kilometres per hour ease late in the day.

The BC Wildfire Service says that will help push the nearly nine-square-kilometre Eagle Bluff wildfire away from Osoyoos, less than two days after flames sparked in Washington state raced across the Canada/U.S. border on Saturday evening.

The wildfire service says although the blaze remains out of control, it did not grow overnight as crews kept a close watch on its east flank, closest to Osoyoos.

About 700 properties in the area west of Osoyoos remain on evacuation order, while 2,000 more, including the entire town of Osoyoos, are on evacuation alert.

The wildfire service is reporting more than 350 active blazes around B.C., with just under 200 classified as out of control and 14 ranked as fires of note that are either highly visible or pose potential threats to public safety.

The fight to protect Osoyoos comes as the wildfire danger rating has fallen sharply in recent weeks because of rain and cooler weather in most areas of B.C., except the southern and southeast corners.

That prompted officials in the Prince George Fire Centre, representing the northeast quarter of the province, to announce plans to lift a campfire ban in that region, but the decision was reversed just a short time later.

"Upon further review and with the wildfire season being experienced in B.C., we have made the decision the Category 1 prohibition will remain in effect," the wildfire service said in a social media post on Sunday.

"The decision to implement or rescind a campfire ban is based on science, however as a high level of activity continues around the province, we want to ensure all wildfire personnel are responding to current and potential naturally caused wildfires," the post said.

Elsewhere, a firefighter was killed before the weekend while fighting the massive Donnie Creek fire in northeastern British Columbia, the second such death this month in the province and the fourth in Canada during a record-breaking fire season.

Police said the contract firefighter from Ontario died after his heavy-duty ATV rolled over on a steep gravel road.

The death came just two weeks after 19-year-old Devyn Gale, who was in her third season as a wildfire fighter, was hit and killed by a falling tree while working on a blaze near her hometown of Revelstoke, B.C.

MORE National ARTICLES

Lawyers ask Amsterdam court to reduce Canadian 13-year cyberbullying sentence to Dutch citizen

Lawyers ask Amsterdam court to reduce Canadian 13-year cyberbullying sentence to Dutch citizen
Aydin Coban was convicted last year of extortion, harassment and other crimes in a case involving Canadian teenager Amanda Todd who was blackmailed to expose herself in front of a webcam. The 15-year-old died by suicide after detailing her ordeal in a YouTube video watched by millions around the world.  

Lawyers ask Amsterdam court to reduce Canadian 13-year cyberbullying sentence to Dutch citizen

Emergency department reopens after man shot dead by police in B.C. hospital

Emergency department reopens after man shot dead by police in B.C. hospital
The Fraser Health authority says the emergency department at a Hope, B.C., hospital that was temporarily closed after a fatal police shooting has reopened. Police say the man received immediate medical attention but was pronounced dead at the scene.  

Emergency department reopens after man shot dead by police in B.C. hospital

U.S. Coast Guard says 'presumed human remains' found in Titan wreckage

U.S. Coast Guard says 'presumed human remains' found in Titan wreckage
Earlier in the day, debris from the ill-fated submersible was returned to shore in Newfoundland aboard a Canadian-flagged ship that had helped search for the vessel in a remote area of ocean near the wreck of the Titanic.

U.S. Coast Guard says 'presumed human remains' found in Titan wreckage

Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., probe theft of German shepherd puppies

Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., probe theft of German shepherd puppies
Police say the theft occurred around 3 a.m. Monday morning. Since then, five of the eight-week-old puppies have been recovered, but police say the rest are still missing. 

Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., probe theft of German shepherd puppies

Rental protection for BC residents

Rental protection for BC residents
The British Columbia government says its 500-million-dollar rental-protection fund will help renters stay in their homes and keep their rents affordable. The province has opened access to the fund that will help non-profit groups purchase rental buildings.

Rental protection for BC residents

Dental care to cost $3B less than budgeted unless provinces drop coverage, PBO says

Dental care to cost $3B less than budgeted unless provinces drop coverage, PBO says
The Liberals promised a stand-alone dental insurance plan for low- and middle-income Canadians who don't have private insurance as part of its supply and confidence deal with the NDP last year.

Dental care to cost $3B less than budgeted unless provinces drop coverage, PBO says