The fire risk is so high in Vancouver that Stanley Park is closing overnight indefinitely
It's so dry and warm in Vancouver that municipal officials have made the decision to close a popular park overnight as a fire prevention measure.
With no rainfall in the city in 45 days, conditions are dry and the fire risk is considered "extreme."
Because of this, the Vancouver Park Board announced Friday that access to Stanley Park will be blocked overnight, in an effort to reduce the risk.
In a statement, the board said all non-essential access to the park will be barred between 10 p.m. – about an hour after the sun sets in Vancouver – and 6 a.m., starting Friday night.
The park will be closed between those hours every night until the risk has been significantly reduced, the board said.
Park rangers will set up overnight access points at five locations as a way to reduce the number of people in the park overnight. Vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians and anyone else who doesn't need to be there will be turned around at these points, the board said.
But some will still be able to pass through the park.
The measures will allow for patrons and staff to get to businesses located within its 405 hectares. Passengers of TransLink's #19 bus will be able to access the route, and emergency services staff will be let through control points.
The Stanley Park Causeway through the park will stay open as well.
Additionally, anyone who stays in the park after the closure is in place will be allowed out through those points.
"The current conditions in Stanley Park are extreme right now and given the size of the park, the risk of a fire breaking out overnight when fewer people may notice it or report it presents a significant threat to the wellbeing of the park, its trees, wildlife, and everyone who relies on the park and its ongoing health," said Director of Park Operations Amit Gandha in a news release.
The seawall will be closed, with signs placed along the access points to advise pedestrians and cyclists. Park rangers will be monitoring the park overnight.
One of the access points is at the traffic circle off Georgia Street. Others are at the corners of Barclay Street and Park Lane, and Beach Avenue and Park Lane.
The remaining two are at the north and south exits of the Stanley Park Causeway.
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.