'Tremendous amount of fire': Crews continue to face challenges in northeastern B.C.
The BC Wildfire Service provided an update Sunday on conditions in the northeastern part of the province, highlighting the challenges posed by ongoing drought and unstable weather.
Incident commander Hugh Murdock said while the fires burning closest to Fort Nelson – which forced thousands to evacuate – are getting the most attention, the region as a whole is seeing “a tremendous amount of fire.”
In total, roughly 2,500 square kilometres are currently burning, he said. The Parker Lake and Patry Creek fires, which are closest to the community and are being battled by 130 firefighters, only account for about a third of that total area.
“The summer is going to be a long one, I think,” Murdock said. “It’s had an early start again and there seems to be just so much fire on the landscape so early and it’s not just going to be lightning that gives us our starts but these holdover fires.”
Holdover fires are ones that sparked last year, have been smoldering throughout the winter and reignited this spring.
Eric Kopetski, a fire behavior specialist, says one of the biggest challenges for crews is the ongoing drought which has resulted in a lot of downed or danger trees.
“The fire’s getting under these trees and we have to clear them to get it out and it’s taking a lot of time and effort,” he said.
The primary concern in the coming days is the potential for thunderstorms, which can bring lightning as well as strong winds.
“This weather, combined with dry fuel conditions, may result in elevated fire behaviour, increased rates of spread and new wildfire starts, which may challenge suppression efforts,” according to the BCWS’ provincial situation report for Sunday.
Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Fort Nelson Sunday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'People get very sick': Manitoba sees rise in rare, potentially fatal bacterial infection
A rise in cases of a rare bacterial infection in Manitoba has prompted health officials to issue a warning.
Heat warnings to last into the weekend for some provinces
A heat wave is expected to hit parts of Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick this week, and it could feel as warm as 45, according to latest forecasts.
opinion Symbolic meaning behind Princess of Wales' style choices at first public appearance since diagnosis revealed
The Trooping the Colour marked the first public outing this year for the Princess of Wales, who has not been seen at any official royal engagements since December 2023. We now know that was due to abdominal surgery and preventive chemotherapy, with no return to public life anytime soon. But the Princess of Wales chose this occasion to soft launch her return to royal life, and it was eagerly anticipated.
Calgary mayor says 3 to 5-week repair timeline is the 'maximum'
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says work is progressing simultaneously on five issues identified in the city's feeder main last week and residents are being asked for continued patience with water conservation measures.
2 Canadian cities ranked high on global list of most expensive places to buy a home
As Canadians continue to struggle with the extremely high cost of buying a home in some of the country’s major urban centres, a new global report is underscoring just how expensive some of those markets are.
Home sales in May down from year ago: Canadian Real Estate Association
The Canadian Real Estate Association says the number of homes sold in May fell compared with a year ago as the average price also moved lower.
Nuclear-armed nations are deepening their reliance on their nuclear weapons, watchdog finds
The world's nine nuclear-armed states continue to modernize their nuclear weapons as the countries deepened their reliance on such deterrence in 2023, a Swedish think tank said Monday.
World's first weekly insulin injection coming to Canada in 2 weeks, manufacturer says
Many people with diabetes in Canada will soon be able to take insulin once a week instead of daily, drug manufacturer Novo Nordisk announced on Monday.
Japan reports record spike in potentially deadly bacterial infection
Cases of a dangerous and highly fatal bacterial infection have reached record levels in Japan, official figures show, with experts so far unable to pinpoint the reason for the rise.