B.C. wildfires: Fluid conditions prompt evacuations for some, relief for others
The wildfire situation in British Columbia remains fluid as nearly 300 fires are blazing, but even though drought conditions persist in the southern half of the province and fire risk is still extreme, there are some small signs of improvement.
Evacuation alerts covering the Resort Municipality of Sun Peaks and several surrounding areas north of Kamloops have been lifted as crews work to contain a nine-square kilometre blaze.
Elsewhere, an evacuation order posted earlier this week in southeastern B.C. for nearly 200 properties along the Slocan River has been downgraded to an alert for most residents, while Drive BC, an online traveller information system, says Highway 1 north of Hope has reopened - three weeks after it was cut by a wildfire that destroyed the village of Lytton.
But the BC Wildfire Service says that 156-square kilometre blaze is still aggressive on its northern flank, prompting evacuation orders for the community of Spences Bridge and surrounding First Nations.
Evacuation orders have also been expanded around the roughly 20-square kilometre Nk'Mip Creek fire in the south Okanagan and another burning at the north end of Shuswap Lake, north of Sicamous.
Emergency Management BC says more than 5,000 properties across the province are covered by evacuation orders as wildfires have scorched more than 3,600 square kilometres of bush since the start of the season on April 1.
More than 100 firefighters from Quebec arrive in B.C. Friday, while a crew of 100 from Mexico is due on the weekend and a Canadian Armed Forces Contingent is now in the north Okanagan in advance of deployment to various fires.
Ian Meier, executive director with the BC Wildfire Service, told a news conference Thursday there's no immediate relief to drought conditions in southern B.C. but cooler temperatures and precipitation in northern B.C. have allowed officials to move some firefighting resources from that region to areas in the south.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Liberals must now sell a budget they say will help younger Canadians catch up
It's now up to the federal Liberal government to sell a spending plan it says will help younger Canadians catch up to their elders.
Some of the winners and losers in the 2024 federal budget
With a variety of fiscal and policy measures announced in the federal budget, winners include small businesses and fintech companies while losers include the tobacco industry and Canadian pension funds.
500 Newfoundlanders wound up on the same cruise and it turned into a rocking kitchen party
A Celebrity Apex cruise to the Caribbean this month turned into a rocking Newfoundland kitchen party when hundreds of people from Canada's easternmost province happened to be booked on the same ship.
Ontario woman out $30K after investing in mortgage company accused of being unlicensed
An Ontario nurse is fighting to recover tens of thousands of dollars in savings she invested in a mortgage company that has since been accused of operating without a licence.
Actor Hugh Grant settles privacy lawsuit against Murdoch's Sun tabloid
British actor Hugh Grant has settled a lawsuit against the publisher of Rupert Murdoch's tabloid newspaper, The Sun, over claims journalists used private investigators to tap his phone and burgle his house, he said on Wednesday.
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
Peel police to provide update today on arrests in Pearson gold heist
More details are expected this morning on arrests that have been made in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport one year ago, Peel Regional Police say.
Father of boy accused of stabbing 2 Australian clerics saw no signs of extremism, Muslim leader says
The father of a boy accused of stabbing two Christian clerics in Australia saw no signs of his son’s extremism, a Muslim community leader said on Wednesday as police began arresting suspected rioters who besieged a Sydney church demanding revenge.
Stretching isn't always the answer for pain and muscle tension
For years, conventional wisdom in fitness culture has promoted the belief that stretching to become more flexible leads to better movement and injury prevention.