British Columbia
B.C. is burning through its wildfire budget well before the season even peaks
Total budget for 2023 season at $204M, as province transitions B.C. Wildfire Service to year-round service The B.C Wildfire Service (BCWS) has now spent $105.3 million fighting fires so far this season, burning through half of its allocated budget well before the start of the peak fire season. The service provided the figures in a statement to CBC News on Monday. The BCWS’s total budget for the 2023 fire season is $204 million. In 2022, the budget was $199 million. “However, B.C. Wildfire Service has the authority to spend as required over those amounts for suppression activity,Read more
Heat wave challenges firefighters in B.C. as new wildfires prompt evacuations
More than 100 homes on evacuation order due to Stoddart Creek fire in northeastern B.C. Northeastern B.C. continues to see large wildfires burn out of control, as unusually hot weather challenges firefighters. Dozens of people remained out of their homes Sunday in areas around Fort St. John, B.C., due to evacuation orders and alerts associated with the Red Creek fire, which has now been burning for more than a week. A newly-discovered blaze called the Stoddart Creek fire, just north of Red Creek, has prompted a door-to-door evacuation operation due to the safety risks associated with that fire, while otherRead more