TOPIC: B C WILDFIRES
B.C. crews expecting more wildfires in August with hot, dry weather in forecast
Cooler weather is giving wildfire crews a bit of a breather as they battle a number of fires around B.C., but officials warn August could see more fire activity with drier, warmer conditions expected over the next month.
Crews ignite planned burns in effort to contain B.C. wildfires; blaze near Penticton grows by 52%
Crews are literally fighting fire with fire in the southern Okanagan as the B.C. Wildfire Service takes advantage of cooler weather to try to contain a growing blaze that has forced hundreds from their homes.
'We're ready': Tŝilhqot'in Nation inks deal on emergency response management with B.C., feds
Five years after record-breaking wildfires tore through their territories, representatives of the Tŝilhqot'in National Government signed an emergency management deal with the province and Ottawa, which ensures they are not left out of emergency responses on their own lands.
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How three B.C. communities are preparing for potential floods and wildfires this summer
After successive wildfires, floods and storms last summer, the CBC’s Sarah Penton visited communities in British Columbia to find out how they’re preparing for potential climate-related disasters in the months ahead.
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What you need to know about monkeypox; what the Texas school shooting might mean for U.S. gun control; B.C. communities preparing for potential summer floods and wildfires; and how this year’s baseballs are affecting play in the MLB
Health officials in Canada are investigating around two dozen cases of monkeypox, a relative of the smallpox virus not normally seen outside of Africa. Matt Galloway speaks with infectious diseases specialists Dr. Isaac Bogoch, and Dr. Dimie Ogoina, who was on the frontline of a 2017 monkeypox outbreak in Nigeria. Then, gun control activists are hoping for change following Tuesday’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. We talk to Michele Gay, the executive director and co-founder of Safe and Sound Schools, whose daughter was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012. We also hear from Arelis Hernandez, the Texas correspondent for the Washington Post; and gun control advocate Matt Bennett. Also, after successive wildfires, floods and storms last summer, the CBC’s Sarah Penton visited communities in British Columbia to find out how they’re preparing for potential climate-related disasters in the months ahead. And are softer baseballs affecting play in the MLB this year? Robert Arthur, a data scientist and freelance journalist, explains why pitchers and hitters are grumbling about the new type of balls they're playing with.
This tiny town wants to make itself as fireproof as possible — but it can't do it alone
As communities like Hedley, B.C., work with a sense of urgency to protect themselves from wildfires, they are, to some degree, at the mercy of the province, which is responsible for cleaning up combustible material on Crown land.
How some Lytton area residents are fireproofing their homes as they rebuild destroyed village
Nearly nine months after a devastating fire swept through Lytton, B.C., one couple is rebuilding their house and other structures on their property — but this time they're taking steps to fireproof the buildings.
This B.C. forester is salvaging wildfire-damaged trees to make prints of their rings
Casey Macauley has been salvaging parts of trees burned in the 2021 White Rock Lake and Tremont Creek fires and turned their rings into art prints.
Proposed year-round B.C. Wildfire Service a good way to retain firefighters, expert says
A fire ecologist says new provincial funding to expand the B.C. Wildfire Service to a year-round endeavour is a welcome step toward preventing disasters, while others in the field say the funds could be better spent elsewhere.
Better collaboration with First Nations would have improved B.C.'s response to huge 2017 wildfire: report
An Indigenous-led review of a massive wildfire that destroyed more than 100 homes in British Columbia's southern Interior four years ago has produced 30 calls to action to improve wildfire management and recovery practices.
Investigators haven't found evidence linking train activity to Lytton fire, TSB says
Investigators have not found any evidence that trains running near the village of Lytton, B.C., were responsible for the catastrophic fire that engulfed the community and killed two people in June, the Transportation Safety Board has announced.
Skeetchestn First Nation wants more prescribed burns to protect from future wildfires
Members of Skeetchestn First Nation in B.C. were able to protect their community and homes from the Sparks Lake Fire this summer, but much of their land was scorched. Now people there want the province to use their knowledge and do more prescribed burns to prevent future damage.
Municipal leaders across B.C. set to discuss array of challenges at 2nd virtual convention
The annual Union of B.C. Municipalities convention is taking place this week, allowing mayors and councillors to lobby the provincial government and trade best practices on local government.
Buyers and builders frustrated after being refused insurance for homes near wildfires
Many builders and prospect home buyers are stuck in limbo as insurance companies refuse to issue new coverage for properties within a certain distance of an active blaze.
Impact of fires on wildlife needs to be studied as blazes get bigger and hotter, expert says
The blazes that have scorched several parts of Western Canada have affected wildlife populations incinerating their habitat, which may take many years to recover, an expert says.
What you need to know about B.C. wildfires for Aug. 23
Cooler conditions have helped firefighters make some progress against some of the most severe fires burning in the province.
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'We thought we were going down': Passenger recalls terror of flight through thick wildfire smoke
Aviation safety experts agree it would be harrowing for passengers to be caught in wildfire smoke like the kind that enveloped a flight from Vancouver to Kelowna, B.C., on Sunday, but said commercial pilots are trained and equipped to handle the extreme turbulence and land safely.
What you need to know about B.C. wildfires for Aug. 13
The B.C. government has issued a travel warning for parts of the interior given the wildfire situation in the area is expected to worsen over the weekend.
What you need to know about B.C. wildfires for Aug. 12
Temperatures continued to climb across B.C. on Thursday as the province faces a third heat wave this summer, worsening tinder-dry conditions and causing fires to spread.
Ignoring wildfire orders putting lives at risk, say B.C. officials, as 6,200 properties now evacuated
Emergency officials on Tuesday implored British Columbians to obey wildfire evacuation orders, citing their growing concerns about residents refusing to leave in the face of fires, and some incidents of verbal abuse at road checkpoints.
Most of Vernon, B.C., on evacuation alert due to White Rock Lake wildfire
An aggressive fire in B.C.'s Okanagan has prompted an evacuation alert for most of the city of Vernon, which has a population of around 40,000. This means residents must be ready to leave their homes at a moment's notice.
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B.C. fire crews risked their lives to help residents who ignored evacuation orders: minister
Another British Columbia community has been devastated by a raging wildfire, and more could be at risk from a blaze between Kamloops and Vernon in the province's southern Interior.
Wind raises fears that aggressive White Rock Lake fire will spread, as more evacuations ordered
New evacuation orders are now in place for people living north of the aggressive White Rock Lake Fire as fresh winds are forecast to fan it by Thursday afternoon.
Preparation is key for those living under threat of prolonged wildfire smoke, experts say
As air quality warnings remain in place for much of Canada with wildfires burning across North America, a pair of medical experts say preparing for the possibility of prolonged, thick wildfire smoke is critical to both physical and mental health.
Thousands could die and costs could reach billions if wildfire response doesn't change, scientists say
A team of scientists from B.C., U.S. and Spain released a paper saying wildfires could cost billions of dollars and thousands of premature deaths from wildfire smoke exposure if climate change and fire causes are not resolved.