A rapidly growing wildfire in the region has forced the closure of Highway 97 between Chetwynd and Prince George, British Columbia. The BC Wildfire Service reports that the fire has grown to 0.4 square kilometers, prompting an evacuation order for the Pine River area of Chetwynd. Residents are urged to leave the area immediately. More updates will follow.
A wildfire burning near Chetwynd, British Columbia, has prompted an evacuation order and a highway closure. Police and firefighters are going door-to-door in the vicinity of the fire, which was discovered around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday. The fire has grown rapidly to 40 hectares in size and has forced the closure of a 10-kilometre stretch of Highway 97 in both directions. Drive BC says the closures start four kilometers away from Chetwynd and end 14 kilometers away. BC Wildfire Service firefighters and aircraft are working to contain the blaze. An evacuation order has been issued for the Pine River area, and an evacuation alert is in place for the Burgess Creek Wildfire.
A report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) alleges that an increasing portion of British Columbia’s forests is being harvested to produce wood pellets for export to Japan, where they are burned as fuel. The report claims that pellet producers are turning to raw logs instead of scrap wood, raising concerns about the use of primary forest trees for overseas powerplant fuel. Conservationists and the report’s analyst, Ben Parfitt, believe there is not enough scrap wood to meet the demand for wood pellets, and that using valuable primary forest wood for this purpose is unacceptable. The B.C. government and the company operating most of the province’s pellet mills deny the allegations, maintaining that pellets are primarily made from scrap wood.
Three Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers in British Columbia will not face charges in the 2021 death of Jared Lowndes, a 38-year-old Indigenous man. The B.C. Prosecution Service informed Lowndes’ mother, Laura Holland, of their decision on Tuesday. Lowndes was shot and killed in the parking lot of a Tim Hortons in Campbell River, B.C., by at least one officer on July 8, 2021. The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. found reasonable grounds to charge the officers but the B.C. Prosecution Service declined to proceed with charges. Holland vowed to continue her fight for accountability, saying, “My fight to hold police accountable for my son’s death won’t stop today.”
The British Columbia government has placed its proposed online harms legislation on hold following an agreement with prominent social media platforms, including Meta, TikTok, X, and Snapchat. This agreement aims to enhance online safety through the establishment of an online safety action table where parties will collaborate on measures to protect individuals from online hazards.
The British Columbia government has introduced landmark legislation formally recognizing the Haida Nation’s Aboriginal title over the archipelago of Haida Gwaii. The agreement marks a significant milestone in the reconciliation process between the province and the Haida people and is the first negotiated deal of its kind in Canada. The legislation establishes a staged transition to Haida jurisdiction, allowing the Nation to exercise greater control over its traditional lands and resources.
British Columbia’s wildfire season has ignited early, with multiple blazes burning in the Quesnel area. The Burgess Creek wildfire, the largest among them, continues to grow and is currently listed as out of control. Evacuation alerts have been issued for the Burgess Creek area, and firefighters are battling the flames with support from heavy equipment and aircraft.
Shifting winds have prompted an evacuation alert for the community of Endako in central British Columbia, driven by concerns over an active wildfire and the potential for a challenging wildfire season in the province.
Two out-of-control wildfires in central British Columbia have prompted evacuation alerts, including for the small community of Endako. The Cariboo Regional District issued an alert covering six parcels of land near the Burgess Creek fire, which has grown to 16 square kilometers. About 400 kilometers northwest, the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako has issued an evacuation alert for the entire town of Endako, which is threatened by a separate wildfire. Both fires are among nine that ignited in the province in the previous 24 hours, adding to concerns about a challenging wildfire season due to ongoing drought conditions.
