Wind will increase fire activity throughout the Interior
A major wind event is forecast to hit the Cariboo and southern British Columbia today, bringing gusts of up to 70 kilometres per hour to some areas. These winds are expected to persist well into Sunday. Given the current wildfire situation throughout the Interior, the BC Wildfire Service anticipates that this weather system will lead […]
UPDATED: Environment Canada ends Special Weather Statement for West Kootenay, Boundary
Environment Canada had ended the Special Weather Statement for the Boundary, West Kootenay as of early Sunday evening. Environment Canada said windy and unsettled weather would continue Sunday to push across the BC Interior. However, the scattered thunderstorms never materialized. The Special Weather Statement continues for Okanagan and Cariboo regions of the province. Special Weather […]
Castlegar/Trail area wildfire update for Friday, July 14
Southeast Fire Centre is reporting two fire starts in the Castlegar area yesterday (Thursday) and none in the Trail area yesterday, with a total of 17 fires burning in the Southeast Region right now, according to Fire Information Officer Karlie Shaughnessy. (Both Castlegar Fire Chief Sam Lattanzio and Kootenay Boundary Fire Rescue Chief Dan Derby […]
Selkirk College Featured in Amazing Race Canada
The torrid pace of Amazing Race Canada will rip through the West Kootenay in the July 18 episode (8 p.m. on CTV) with Selkirk College’s Kootenay Studio Arts (KSA) one of the featured stops for the popular reality television show. Contestants and crew filmed the upcoming episode on April 30 and May 1 when they […]
How to be safer from fire
It's a flamin' hot summer. The recent FireSmart course for Black Bear residents happened shortly before so much of BC's Cariboo region sprouted wildfires, many of them "fires of note" -- that is, fires that are highly visible, or which threaten people or structures. Communities are being evacuated, looters have been busy...
Opinion: Suggestions for Fair Elections
Houston, we have a consensus. Well, almost. All three parties in the B.C. legislature now support a ban on corporate and union donations, as well as setting a cap on personal contributions. It's that last one that gets tricky. What's the right cap? Perhaps B.C.'s new government should rip a page out of Alberta's NDP playbook....
Hiker dies after fall while climbing Gimli Peak in Valhalla Provincial Park
A 23-year-old hiker from Quebec has died in a climbing accident Tuesday in the Valhalla Provincial Park near Winlaw. Slocan RCMP said Tuesday at approximately 2:51 p.m. the detachment responded to a report of a female hiker who had fallen approximately 100 feet down a cliff on Gimli Peak. Gimli Peak is located on edge […]
Canadian Mental Health warns of potential trauma during wildfire season
Being forced from one’s home by a natural disaster is a rare occurrence that most of us will never face. However, tens of thousands of British Columbians are going through this upheaval right now as hundreds of wildfires burn throughout the province. Mental health experts warn that the emotional toll of disaster can be as...
Public urged to stay away from active wildfire areas
The BC Wildfire Service is urging members of the public to stay away from active wildfires wherever they may be in the province. British Columbia's fire management professionals, hardworking firefighters, aircraft crews and contracted firefighters need plenty of room to do this challenging work. The presence of unauthorized...
Fire and Smoke Update from Southeast Fire Centre
The Southeast Fire Centre has issued the following bulletin: BC Wildfire Service personnel are currently responding to 25 lightning-caused wildfires throughout the Southeast Fire Centre. Although some of these fires are highly visible from surrounding communities, none of them is immediately threatening communities or structures....
