Growing wildfire closes regional park in Metro Vancouver
A regional park in Coquitlam remained closed Sunday as crews continued to battle a growing wildfire.
The blaze in Minnekhada Regional Park was listed at two hectares in size on the BC Wildfire Service's online dashboard Sunday morning, but by noon, it had been revised to 11 hectares.
A BCWS spokesperson told CTV News it is an "assisting agency" in the response to the wildfire, referring further questions about the response to Metro Vancouver.
CTV News has reached out to the regional district for more information.
In updates on social media, Metro Vancouver said the park closure began early Saturday afternoon "to assist with firefighting operations and ensure public safety." Another social media post Sunday evening said "there is no concern for evacuation and no structures are threatened."
Crews from the BC Wildfire Service, Coquitlam Fire Rescue Services and Metro Vancouver Emergency Services were all working to put out the blaze, according to the regional district.
The BCWS said it had two helicopters and one unit crew of 20 firefighters responding to the blaze as of noon Sunday.
In its own tweet Saturday, Metro Vancouver Emergency Services said the fire is "under control and not spreading."
That appears to no longer be the case, given the growth in size reported by the wildfire service.
The BCWS dashboard listed the fire as "out of control" and its suspected cause as "human."
The fire continued to burn overnight on steep terrain, and Metro Vancouver said ground and helicopter crews would resume operations "at first light" Sunday.
Metro Vancouver Emergency Services said smoke from the blaze was affecting air quality in some parts of the region. The agency suggested residents check Metro Vancouver's online air map for details on their local air quality.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Luxury cruise line selling world cruise suite for US$1.7 million
Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising their price tag to eye-watering levels, with a suite on an upcoming 140-day world voyage costing US$1.7 million.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
'Oppenheimer' finally premieres in Japan to mixed reactions and high emotions
'Oppenheimer' finally premiered Friday in the nation where two cities were obliterated 79 years ago by the nuclear weapons invented by the American scientist who was the subject of the Oscar-winning film. Japanese filmgoers' reactions understandably were mixed and highly emotional.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.