'Like herding cattle': Crews struggle to keep boaters away from wildfire, B.C. water bomber forced to abort refill
The weather isn’t the only challenge for crews fighting a wildfire near Sicamous, B.C. There’s also boaters.
The Two Mile Road fire is situated just two kilometres from Sicamous and is burning out of control along the shores of Mara Lake.
On Tuesday, the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue Shuswap station issued a plea to boaters, asking them to stay away.
But it appears some are not getting the message.
On Wednesday, station leader Ron Sutherland said water bombers had to abort at least one flight to refill their pontoons because boats were in the way.
“It’s like herding cattle. If you’ve tried to herd cattle, it’s very hard,” Sutherland told CTV News. “People just seem to want to get in the way and get a better view. It’s just not good. It’s just getting in the way.”
Crews were eventually able to clear the space.
“The RCMP boat was there as well, they stopped a couple of boats, we got a couple of boats and finally got them moved back and the next fly by, (the water bombers) finally got to fill up their pontoons,'' he said.
Under B.C.’s Wildfire Act, a boater getting in the way of firefighting aircraft could face a violation ticket fine of $1,150 or an administrative penalty of up to $100,000. The person could also be charged with an offence under the Wildfire Act, which carries a maximum fine of $100,000.
Sutherland says his organization is run by volunteers and does not have the power to issue fines, but RCMP officers do. He also adds that, so far, boaters have moved on after being told once.
The fire threatening Sicamous started after a van hit a hydro pole, knocking it over and causing power lines to spark in dry grass for 100 metres in either direction, according to the town's mayor.
It happened just before 11 a.m. Tuesday, and by evening the blaze had forced a thousand people to flee their homes and left most of the rest of the residents on evacuation alert.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.