Wild fire
Residents near Gun Lake, B.C., ordered to evacuate immediately due to growing wildfire north of Pemberton
Squamish-Lillooet Regional District says order in place for areas surrounding Gun Lake and Lajoie Lake Regional officials say a wildfire north of Pemberton, B.C., is “critical” and have told residents they must evacuate immediately. The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) says an evacuation order covers all properties around the Downton Lake fire in the Bridge River Valley north of Pemberton, which includes Gun Lake and Lajoie Lake near Gold Bridge, B.C. The blaze has more than doubled in size since Monday when flames raced eastward on the steep northern hillsides above Gun Lake and its more thanRead more
Alberta municipalities affected by wildfires to have most costs reimbursed by province
Alberta allots $175M to cover the cost of evacuation centres, transport, some property damage The Alberta government has set aside $175 million for wildfire disaster recovery after spring and early summer blazes tore through some communities and forced 38,000 people from their homes. Municipalities and Métis settlements will be eligible to apply for provincial funding to help offset some of the unanticipated costs of responding to wildfires and repairing some damage. “Alberta municipalities and Métis settlements have had to manage extraordinary costs and pressures to help keep residents’ homes and businessesRead more
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
Northern B.C. wildfire on the edge of Tumbler Ridge townsite has more than doubled in size
Fire is ‘not receptive to any sort of suppression activities’: official The West Kiskatinaw River wildfire burning in northern B.C. — now an estimated 230 square kilometres in size, up from 96 square kilometres on Thursday — is pushing closer to the evacuated town of Tumbler Ridge. Forrest Tower, an information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS), said Friday morning the blaze is four to five kilometres away from Highway 52, which runs through Tumbler Ridge. Meanwhile, the District of Tumbler Ridge is reporting the fire as being “aboutRead more