Stuti Mishra
The Independent
Mon, 21 August 2023
Smoke from wildfires fills the air as motorists travel on a road on the side of a mountain, in Kelowna, British Columbia (AP)
Two large wildfires raging in western Canada have combined to form one huge blaze that destroyed houses and vast swathes of land, and prompted the evacuations of thousands in the area.
British Columbia declared a state of emergency and imposed a ban on non-essential travel to free up accommodations for evacuees and firefighters, as 35,000 people were ordered to evacuate over the weekend with hundreds of wildfires continuing to burn in the state.
Government officials urged residents in evacuation order zones to leave immediately to save their lives and prevent firefighters from dying trying to rescue them.
On Sunday, prime minister Justin Trudeau announced that his government has cleared the request of the provincial government to deploy the military to tackle fast-spreading infernos.
Mr Trudeau said in a tweet that the federal government will offer support from the Canadian military “to help with evacuations, staging” and other logistical tasks, in response to a request from the British Columbia government.
At least 400 fires continue to burn in the province as strong northern winds continued to fan the flames and hundreds of firefighters struggled to control them for weeks.
In some cities in British Columbia, smoke from the wildfires plunged the air quality index (AQI) to “hazardous” levels, showed IQAir, a real-time air-quality information platform.
At midnight (0400 GMT), Salmon Arm was recording the nation’s worst air quality index, with an AQI reading of 470. Among other cities, Kelowna College and Sicamous both had the AQI at 423.
West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund said he saw some hope after battling “epic” fires for the past four days as he said conditions have improved, helping firefighters to put “boots on the ground” and dump water on flames that threatened the town of 150,000.
“We are finally feeling like we are moving forward rather than moving backwards, and that’s a great feeling,” Mr Brolund told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
A map of the wildfires currently raging in British Columbia, Canada
Mon, 21 August 2023
Smoke from wildfires fills the air as motorists travel on a road on the side of a mountain, in Kelowna, British Columbia (AP)
Two large wildfires raging in western Canada have combined to form one huge blaze that destroyed houses and vast swathes of land, and prompted the evacuations of thousands in the area.
British Columbia declared a state of emergency and imposed a ban on non-essential travel to free up accommodations for evacuees and firefighters, as 35,000 people were ordered to evacuate over the weekend with hundreds of wildfires continuing to burn in the state.
Government officials urged residents in evacuation order zones to leave immediately to save their lives and prevent firefighters from dying trying to rescue them.
On Sunday, prime minister Justin Trudeau announced that his government has cleared the request of the provincial government to deploy the military to tackle fast-spreading infernos.
Mr Trudeau said in a tweet that the federal government will offer support from the Canadian military “to help with evacuations, staging” and other logistical tasks, in response to a request from the British Columbia government.
At least 400 fires continue to burn in the province as strong northern winds continued to fan the flames and hundreds of firefighters struggled to control them for weeks.
In some cities in British Columbia, smoke from the wildfires plunged the air quality index (AQI) to “hazardous” levels, showed IQAir, a real-time air-quality information platform.
At midnight (0400 GMT), Salmon Arm was recording the nation’s worst air quality index, with an AQI reading of 470. Among other cities, Kelowna College and Sicamous both had the AQI at 423.
West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund said he saw some hope after battling “epic” fires for the past four days as he said conditions have improved, helping firefighters to put “boots on the ground” and dump water on flames that threatened the town of 150,000.
“We are finally feeling like we are moving forward rather than moving backwards, and that’s a great feeling,” Mr Brolund told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
A map of the wildfires currently raging in British Columbia, Canada
(The Independent/Datawrapper)
The Pacific coast province could get some rains this week from the moisture of tropical Storm Hilary, which made its historic arrival in California on Sunday, bringing some relief to the province which is in the grip of a severe drought.
Forest fires are not uncommon in Canada but this year, the country has seen its worst wildfire season on record, on the heels of record-shattering global temperatures driven by the climate crisis.
About 140,000 square km (54,054 square miles) of land, roughly the size of New York state, has been scorched nationwide, with smoky haze extending as far as the US East Coast.
Government officials project the fire season could stretch into autumn because of widespread drought-like conditions.
Additional reporting by agencies
The Pacific coast province could get some rains this week from the moisture of tropical Storm Hilary, which made its historic arrival in California on Sunday, bringing some relief to the province which is in the grip of a severe drought.
Forest fires are not uncommon in Canada but this year, the country has seen its worst wildfire season on record, on the heels of record-shattering global temperatures driven by the climate crisis.
About 140,000 square km (54,054 square miles) of land, roughly the size of New York state, has been scorched nationwide, with smoky haze extending as far as the US East Coast.
Government officials project the fire season could stretch into autumn because of widespread drought-like conditions.
Additional reporting by agencies
Firefighters curb blazes threatening 2 cities in western Canada but are 'not out of the woods yet'
Evacuations have begun in the city of Yellowknife, located in the Canadian Northwest Territories. The fire had moved to within 9 miles from the city as of August 18, 2023.
Evacuations have begun in the city of Yellowknife, located in the Canadian Northwest Territories. The fire had moved to within 9 miles from the city as of August 18, 2023.
(AP Digital Embed)
DAVID SHARP, JIM MORRIS and MARTHA BELLISLE
Updated Sun, August 20, 2023
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Firefighters kept wildfires at bay near the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories as well as a threatened city in British Columbia, though no one claimed victory as forecasters warned that drier and windier weather was coming.
For Saturday at least, the weather was milder, providing some help for fire teams battling to contain the flames of Canada's worst fire season on record that destroyed structures, fouled the air with thick smoke and prompted evacuation orders for tens of thousands of residents.
Officials said a huge wildfire again had been kept from advancing closer than 15 kilometers (9 miles) to Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories that was left virtually empty when nearly all of its 20,000 residents fled for safety.
“We’re by no means out of the woods yet,” Mike Westwick, wildfire information officer for the city, told The Associated Press. “We still have a serious situation. It’s not safe to return.”
To the south, in British Columbia, raging flames were also kept away from Kelowna, a city of some 150,000 people about 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of the United States border.
The Kelowna fire is among more than 380 blazes across the province, with 150 burning out of control. The blaze near Yellowknife is one of 237 wildfires burning in the Northwest Territories.
At a Saturday evening news conference, Shane Thompson, the minister of environment and climate change for the Northwest Territories, said the fires near Yellowknife had not grown very much in the past few days thanks to breaks in the weather.
“But I want to be clear, a little bit of rain doesn’t mean it’s safe to come back home,” he said. Others warned that incoming hot weather would make the battle more challenging.
Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty encouraged residents to stay away to ensure their safety and help with firefighting efforts. She assured people that patrols were monitoring streets and homes to protect against looting.
The city has become a virtual ghost town since residents fled following an evacuation order issued Wednesday evening. Long caravans of cars choked the main highway and people lined up for emergency flights to escape the blaze. The last 39 hospital patients were flown out Friday night on a Canadian Forces plane, officials said.
On Saturday, officials said the escape route out of Yellowknife was safe, for the time being. About 2,600 people remained in town, including emergency teams, firefighters, utility workers and police officers, along with some residents who refused to leave.
Charlotte Morritt was among those who left Thursday, reaching that decision because of the unbearable smoke that she feared would be unhealthy for her 4-month-old son.
Morritt, a journalist with the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, and her son took an evacuation flight some 1,500 kilometers (950 miles) west to safety in Whitehorse, Yukon, while her partner stayed behind to monitor their property and help create firebreaks and fight fires.
“We knew it was only a matter of time,” said Morritt, who had been following media updates and satellite images of the approaching wildfires.
Air tankers dropped water and fire retardant to keep the flames from Yellowknife. A 10-kilometer (6-mile) fire line was dug, and firefighters deployed 20 kilometers (12 miles) of hose and a plethora of pumps.
Canada has seen a record number of wildfires this year that have caused choking smoke in parts of the U.S. All told, there have been more than 5,700 fires, which have burned more than 137,000 square kilometers (53,000 square miles) from one end of Canada to the other, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
All of British Columbia was under a state of emergency Saturday. About 35,000 people had been ordered to evacuate wildfire zones across the province and an additional 30,000 people were under an evacuation alert, meaning they should be prepared to leave, Premier David Eby announced.
Eby told reporters Saturday that the situation was “grim” and warned that the “situation changes very quickly.”
He said he was restricting non-essential travel to fire-affected areas to free up accommodations such as hotels, motels and campgrounds for displaced residents and firefighters.
Ian Stewart and his wife made the “anxiety-producing” decision Friday to evacuate Kelowna with their 4-year-old border collie and drive 335 kilometers (210 miles) to the British Columbia town of Clearwater.
“The smoke was really oppressive and there were big chunks of ash falling everywhere,” he said Saturday. They packed a couple of suitcases, passports, laptop computers and dog food, and drove in bumper-to-bumper traffic to escape.
A shift in the wind carried smoke and haze from British Columbia into the Seattle area on Saturday, said Dustin Guy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. The Puget Sound region was just recovering from record heat, and air quality could reach unhealthy levels Saturday night through Monday, Guy said.
___
Sharp reported from Portland, Maine, and Bellisle reported from Seattle. Associated Press journalist Andrea Thomas in Chicago contributed to this report.
DAVID SHARP, JIM MORRIS and MARTHA BELLISLE
Updated Sun, August 20, 2023
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Firefighters kept wildfires at bay near the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories as well as a threatened city in British Columbia, though no one claimed victory as forecasters warned that drier and windier weather was coming.
For Saturday at least, the weather was milder, providing some help for fire teams battling to contain the flames of Canada's worst fire season on record that destroyed structures, fouled the air with thick smoke and prompted evacuation orders for tens of thousands of residents.
Officials said a huge wildfire again had been kept from advancing closer than 15 kilometers (9 miles) to Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories that was left virtually empty when nearly all of its 20,000 residents fled for safety.
“We’re by no means out of the woods yet,” Mike Westwick, wildfire information officer for the city, told The Associated Press. “We still have a serious situation. It’s not safe to return.”
To the south, in British Columbia, raging flames were also kept away from Kelowna, a city of some 150,000 people about 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of the United States border.
The Kelowna fire is among more than 380 blazes across the province, with 150 burning out of control. The blaze near Yellowknife is one of 237 wildfires burning in the Northwest Territories.
At a Saturday evening news conference, Shane Thompson, the minister of environment and climate change for the Northwest Territories, said the fires near Yellowknife had not grown very much in the past few days thanks to breaks in the weather.
“But I want to be clear, a little bit of rain doesn’t mean it’s safe to come back home,” he said. Others warned that incoming hot weather would make the battle more challenging.
Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty encouraged residents to stay away to ensure their safety and help with firefighting efforts. She assured people that patrols were monitoring streets and homes to protect against looting.
The city has become a virtual ghost town since residents fled following an evacuation order issued Wednesday evening. Long caravans of cars choked the main highway and people lined up for emergency flights to escape the blaze. The last 39 hospital patients were flown out Friday night on a Canadian Forces plane, officials said.
On Saturday, officials said the escape route out of Yellowknife was safe, for the time being. About 2,600 people remained in town, including emergency teams, firefighters, utility workers and police officers, along with some residents who refused to leave.
Charlotte Morritt was among those who left Thursday, reaching that decision because of the unbearable smoke that she feared would be unhealthy for her 4-month-old son.
Morritt, a journalist with the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, and her son took an evacuation flight some 1,500 kilometers (950 miles) west to safety in Whitehorse, Yukon, while her partner stayed behind to monitor their property and help create firebreaks and fight fires.
“We knew it was only a matter of time,” said Morritt, who had been following media updates and satellite images of the approaching wildfires.
Air tankers dropped water and fire retardant to keep the flames from Yellowknife. A 10-kilometer (6-mile) fire line was dug, and firefighters deployed 20 kilometers (12 miles) of hose and a plethora of pumps.
Canada has seen a record number of wildfires this year that have caused choking smoke in parts of the U.S. All told, there have been more than 5,700 fires, which have burned more than 137,000 square kilometers (53,000 square miles) from one end of Canada to the other, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
All of British Columbia was under a state of emergency Saturday. About 35,000 people had been ordered to evacuate wildfire zones across the province and an additional 30,000 people were under an evacuation alert, meaning they should be prepared to leave, Premier David Eby announced.
Eby told reporters Saturday that the situation was “grim” and warned that the “situation changes very quickly.”
He said he was restricting non-essential travel to fire-affected areas to free up accommodations such as hotels, motels and campgrounds for displaced residents and firefighters.
Ian Stewart and his wife made the “anxiety-producing” decision Friday to evacuate Kelowna with their 4-year-old border collie and drive 335 kilometers (210 miles) to the British Columbia town of Clearwater.
“The smoke was really oppressive and there were big chunks of ash falling everywhere,” he said Saturday. They packed a couple of suitcases, passports, laptop computers and dog food, and drove in bumper-to-bumper traffic to escape.
A shift in the wind carried smoke and haze from British Columbia into the Seattle area on Saturday, said Dustin Guy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. The Puget Sound region was just recovering from record heat, and air quality could reach unhealthy levels Saturday night through Monday, Guy said.
___
Sharp reported from Portland, Maine, and Bellisle reported from Seattle. Associated Press journalist Andrea Thomas in Chicago contributed to this report.
A front-row seat to devastation on the shores of Lake Okanagan
The Canadian Press
Sat, August 19, 2023
KELOWNA — The eerie calm on the Kelowna waterfront Saturday morning was broken by the faint percussive chops of helicopter blades in the distance.
There were semblances of normality — people walking their dogs or cycling down the path along the lakefront.
But hanging over Okanagan Lake was a pall of putrid wildfire smoke, and the threat posed by fires on both sides of the lake.
Dale Simpson and Steve Smith were out walking their dogs near a marina, where dozens of boats and jet skis sat idle on the docks, the water mostly free of boats due to aerial firefighting craft needing a wide berth to do their work.
Simpson, along with hundreds of others, had gone up a hillside on Thursday night to watch the McDougall Creek wildfire across the lake when embers began blowing across the lake, sparking a spot fire nearby.
The crowd had a “front-row seat” to the devastation unfolding across the water.
“You saw fire going up hundreds of feet in the air,” he said. “The whole massive mountainside hillside was ablaze.”
But when the spot fire broke out, Simpson said, people had to flee their vantage point and get in their cars, causing a “big traffic jam getting out of there.”
Evacuee Claire Blaker came out to the Kelowna waterfront on Saturday morning, shading her eyes as she squinted through the smoke in hopes of seeing if her house was still standing.
She lives in West Kelowna and watched her neighbourhood burning on Friday night as house after house went “candling” up in flames.
She thought the part she lives in might still be OK, but she was “waiting for the smoke to lift.”
Waking up Saturday morning was “pretty tough,” she said, but she feels lucky that she had the time to pack up and get out of her home before things took a turn for the worse.
“People in Maui and Lahaina had no time,” she said, referencing victims of the deadly wildfire that devastated parts of Hawaii last week. “At least we did get that time, so I'm appreciative of that.”
For Dan Teahan, going for a walk on the waterfront gave him a bit of exercise. He was offering masks to people amid the smoke.
Teahan uses a walker and has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, so he was slowing his usual pace to get some relief from the smoke.
He said he watched the fire on Thursday night. He pointed across the water, struggling to see the faint hillside through the haze.
“As far as you could see was a wall of flames on that hillside, and it was just candling,” he said. “It was like end of times, man. You know, the apocalypse is coming or something, right? It just kept going and going.”
Teahen said he has lived in Kelowna for more than 20 years and is currently worried about the city’s less fortunate rather than those at the Kelowna Yacht Club nearby.
“Those guys can take care of themselves,” he said. “They got plenty of dough.”
But Teahan said the city had been through fire crises before, and it brought out the best in people.
“The community spirit really shows in a crisis in this town. People really pull together,” he said. “There's a bunch of people here with really, really big hearts that step up to the plate when there's trouble like this.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2023.
Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press
The Canadian Press
Sat, August 19, 2023
KELOWNA — The eerie calm on the Kelowna waterfront Saturday morning was broken by the faint percussive chops of helicopter blades in the distance.
There were semblances of normality — people walking their dogs or cycling down the path along the lakefront.
But hanging over Okanagan Lake was a pall of putrid wildfire smoke, and the threat posed by fires on both sides of the lake.
Dale Simpson and Steve Smith were out walking their dogs near a marina, where dozens of boats and jet skis sat idle on the docks, the water mostly free of boats due to aerial firefighting craft needing a wide berth to do their work.
Simpson, along with hundreds of others, had gone up a hillside on Thursday night to watch the McDougall Creek wildfire across the lake when embers began blowing across the lake, sparking a spot fire nearby.
The crowd had a “front-row seat” to the devastation unfolding across the water.
“You saw fire going up hundreds of feet in the air,” he said. “The whole massive mountainside hillside was ablaze.”
But when the spot fire broke out, Simpson said, people had to flee their vantage point and get in their cars, causing a “big traffic jam getting out of there.”
Evacuee Claire Blaker came out to the Kelowna waterfront on Saturday morning, shading her eyes as she squinted through the smoke in hopes of seeing if her house was still standing.
She lives in West Kelowna and watched her neighbourhood burning on Friday night as house after house went “candling” up in flames.
She thought the part she lives in might still be OK, but she was “waiting for the smoke to lift.”
Waking up Saturday morning was “pretty tough,” she said, but she feels lucky that she had the time to pack up and get out of her home before things took a turn for the worse.
“People in Maui and Lahaina had no time,” she said, referencing victims of the deadly wildfire that devastated parts of Hawaii last week. “At least we did get that time, so I'm appreciative of that.”
For Dan Teahan, going for a walk on the waterfront gave him a bit of exercise. He was offering masks to people amid the smoke.
Teahan uses a walker and has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, so he was slowing his usual pace to get some relief from the smoke.
He said he watched the fire on Thursday night. He pointed across the water, struggling to see the faint hillside through the haze.
“As far as you could see was a wall of flames on that hillside, and it was just candling,” he said. “It was like end of times, man. You know, the apocalypse is coming or something, right? It just kept going and going.”
Teahen said he has lived in Kelowna for more than 20 years and is currently worried about the city’s less fortunate rather than those at the Kelowna Yacht Club nearby.
“Those guys can take care of themselves,” he said. “They got plenty of dough.”
But Teahan said the city had been through fire crises before, and it brought out the best in people.
“The community spirit really shows in a crisis in this town. People really pull together,” he said. “There's a bunch of people here with really, really big hearts that step up to the plate when there's trouble like this.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2023.
Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press
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