LYTTON, B.C. – A wildfire blazing just west of Lytton, B.C., has now scorched five square kilometres of trees and bush, more than doubling in size in less than 12 hours. BC Wildfire Service spokeswoman Taylor Colman says the out-of-control…
VERNON, B.C. – A planned ignition covering around 30 square kilometres is underway at the northeast corner of the destructive White Rock Lake wildfire west of Vernon, B.C., while hundreds of properties have been put on evacuation alert due to…
The B.C. Wildfire Service is dealing with two out-of-control blazes in the Interior that have prompted evacuation alerts. The McKay Creek fire was discovered Tuesday burning about 23 kilometres north of Lillooet, and has grown to approximately 50 square kilometres…
KILLARNEY, Ont. – While heavy grey smoke from a nearby forest fire hung in the air, Donna Butson packed a bag of clothes and walked in her backyard with tears running from her eyes. She is one of many residents…
Insurers are monitoring about 75 wildfires in northern Ontario this that have resulted in mandatory evacuation orders or alerts in the cottage country districts of Parry Sound and Sudbury, among other areas. “Based on what we are seeing, there aren’t…
SUMMERLAND, B.C. – Evacuation orders and alerts have been expanded as several wildfires in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley chew through bush and timber. A 10-square-kilometre blaze burning just south of Peachland on the west side of Okanagan Lake prompted an…
OLIVER, B.C. – Flooding across the British Columbia Interior has washed out roads and put homes on evacuation alert. The Ministry of Transportation says Highway 33 from the Mission Creek Bridge to Kelowna is closed in both directions due to…
WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. – A municipal leader in British Columbia’s central Interior says he wouldn’t be surprised if wildfires that have chewed through more than 10,600 square kilometres of woodland won’t be fully out until 2018. Chairman Al Richmond of…
KELOWNA, B.C. – Hundreds of people forced from their homes by a wildfire burning east of Kelowna, B.C., have been allowed to return, but others remain displaced. The Central Okanagan Regional District said an evacuation order for 263 properties was lifted Sunday morning and about 600 residents are now allowed to go home.
About 400 other residents remain under evacuation order due to the flames, and people who have been allowed to return will remain on evacuation alert, meaning they must be prepared…
The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) reported on Wednesday that it has received 124 claims to date, at a cost of $500,000, from the wildfires burning in the province. Most vehicle damage claims were related to extreme heat and smoke damage, with some vehicles even rendered as total losses, ICBC reported in a press release.
Recognizing that it is experiencing the “worst wildfire season in the province’s history,” ICBC added that it has made formal changes to its policies to reflect “these special circumstances for customers on evacuation…
KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Over 400 firefighters are working to contain the largest wildfire in British Columbia’s history. Kevin Skrepnek of the BC Wildfire Service said 19 fires merged in an area west of Quesnel in the Interior, creating a single…
KAMLOOPS, B.C. – An out-of-control wildfire is burning through the Cherry Creek area west of Kamloops, B.C. The BC Wildfire Service says the 15-hectare fire has damaged one outbuilding and partially effected a residence in the area. Spokeswoman Justine Hunse…