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…
VANCOUVER – Wildfires have ravaged 27 structures in Telegraph Creek, representing 30 to 45 per cent of buildings in the small northwestern British Columbia community, officials say. Tahltan Band Chief Rick McLean said in a video posted to Facebook on…
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…
Several evacuation orders related to the Kenow wildfire have been lifted, while others remain in effect as the fire continues burning in southwestern Alberta about two weeks after it was initially discovered. The mandatory evacuation order for Cardston County was…
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…
KAMLOOPS, B.C. – British Columbia’s tourism industry is taking a hit with businesses reporting rising cancellations and decreased traffic over fears of wildfires. Maya Lange with Destination BC, the province’s tourism planning and marketing corporation, said Wednesday preliminary results from a survey of businesses in the Kootenay-Rockies region found that 32 per cent are anticipating losses due to perceptions of the fires.
“We are very concerned. Just looking at the volume of visitation and the volume of trips that are taken by British Columbian…
WASAGAMACK, Man. – Forest fires are prompting the evacuation of some 3,700 people from three First Nation communities in northern Manitoba. The fires are closest to the Wasagamack First Nation, some 600 kilometres north of Winnipeg, and all 2,000 residents…
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…
WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. – A mix of dry conditions and forecast lightning has officials in British Columbia considering closing access to a vast section of its backcountry to mitigate the wildfire risk. Restrictions on access to all Crown land in…
VANCOUVER – A spokesman for British Columbia’s wildfire service says crews accidentally sparked a blaze while burning off fuel in order to contain one of many fires raging across the province’s Interior. Kevin Skrepnek says embers ignited a nearby hillside…