Fire danger 'extreme' in regional parks across Metro Vancouver
The fire danger rating in Metro Vancouver regional parks has been elevated to extreme, the regional authority announced Wednesday.
"After weeks of unrelenting heat and no precipitation, regional green spaces are tinder dry and extremely sensitive to sparks and fire," Metro Vancouver said in a news release.
"Warm, sunny and dry conditions are expected to continue through the week and long weekend, with forecasted temperatures in the mid-to-high 20s and no significant rainfall predicted for the next week."
The regional body asked people to use caution when visiting regional parks, which it said remain open for now, but could be closed, if necessary, with the help of local fire authorities.
Metro Vancouver said it will "increase patrols and step-up enforcement" while the fire danger rating in regional parks is extreme.
"Those found engaging in high-risk, prohibited activities could be subject to fines ranging from $500 to $10,000," the authority said.
To help prevent fires and ensure parks remain open, Metro Vancouver asked visitors to stay on designated trails, comply with posted signs, refrain from smoking except in designated areas, and refrain from lighting campfires or using briquette barbecues or stoves.
Propane barbecues and gas cooking stoves can be used under certain circumstances, but only if the municipality in which the park is located has not banned such equipment.
Anyone who spots a wildfire in a regional park should call 911 to report it and alert park staff, Metro Vancouver said.
Several municipalities around the region have also raised the fire danger rating to extreme in public parks in their jurisdictions, and some local governments have implemented bans on barbecues.
According to the B.C. Wildfire Service, the fire danger rating is either high or extreme across nearly all of Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the Southern Interior.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
ByteDance prefers TikTok shutdown in U.S. if legal options fail, Reuters sources say
TikTok owner ByteDance would prefer to shut down its loss-making app rather than sell it if the Chinese company exhausts all legal options to fight legislation to ban the platform from app stores in the U.S., four sources said.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.