2 Fire-Zone Location Updates: B.C. and N.W.T. and appeal by CanadaHelps.org for donations
| Help Provide Urgent Aid – Message from CanadaHelps.org |
| This year has marked an unfortunate milestone as Canada and North America face their worst wildfire season in history. The area of land burned so far is roughly twice the size of New Brunswick. More than 5,700 reported fires have blazed across every province and territory in Canada, issuing evacuation orders in numerous major cities. These fires, ruthless and unrelenting, have ravaged homes, wildlife, and livelihoods, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake and many of our fellow Canadians displaced. With higher than normal fire activity expected into the late summer and fall, your support will be crucial in order to provide ongoing relief for those impacted. |
| GIVE TODAY Link to donations page |
| British Columbia Wildfires: More than 1,000 wildfires have scorched more than three million acres of precious land, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes. The fires have claimed hundreds of homes and destroyed critical infrastructure, including roads that provide access to our Indigenous communities. Make a difference by donating to residents of B.C. who are enduring unimaginable loss during these difficult times. |
| Northwest Territories Wildfires: As of August 23rd, 237 fires are fiercely burning across the territory, leaving thousands of people displaced. The impact of destruction has been immense — homes, structures, and entire highways have been closed down. Even more distressing, the wildfires have impacted wireless telecommunications in the area, isolating residents by limiting access to critical information and updates about the ongoing crisis. Communities in the Northwest Territories are in desperate need of your help. By donating today, you can aid organizations that are on the frontlines, providing relief, recovery, and response. |
| Maui, Hawaii Wildfires: The wildfires in Maui are some of the deadliest wildfires recorded in North America. Maui, Hawaii requires an estimated $5.5 billion USD to rebuild and recover from this disaster. Make a donation to wildfire relief in Maui, Hawaii today. |
| References: Wildfires and wildlife – BC SPCA Total number of wildfires in N.W.T. – Government of Northwest Territories Total number of wildfires – Natural Resources Canada Wildfire history in Maui, Hawaii – National Fire Protection Association CanadaHelps is Canada’s one-stop shop for donating or fundraising online for any registered Canadian charity. When you use CanadaHelps, you’re helping us fulfill our charitable mission ensuring all charities, regardless of size, have access to the online fundraising and educational tools they need to succeed at low, non-commercial rates. Learn More » Copyright © 2023 CanadaHelps • AC |
B.C. Orders Fire-Zone Travel Bans As Evacuations Soar
THE EPICENTRE OF THE FIGHT IS THE OKANAGAN IN THE SOUTHERN INTERIOR
Courtesy of Barrie360.com and Canadian PressPublished: Aug 20th, 2023
By Darryl Greer in Kelowna
British Columbia imposed bans on travel to wildfire zones on Saturday after evacuee numbers doubled to 30,000 or more, marking another day of dramatic developments in the province’s desperate battle against hundreds of blazes.
The epicentre of the fight is the Okanagan in the southern Interior, where fire chiefs hailed the efforts of an “army” of firefighters trying to hold off fires looming over the lakeside communities of West Kelowna and Kelowna.
West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund painted a vivid picture of what his fire crews were facing on Saturday, including multiple simultaneous housefires and a “street full” of homes ablaze.
Yet he said the situation represented a reprieve compared to the pitched battles being fought the day before, something he described as “mind-boggling.”
B.C. Premier David Eby said the sheer scale of the evacuations prompted the government to issue an order restricting travel to fire-affected areas to ensure accommodation was available for evacuees and emergency personnel.
He told a news briefing the order restricts non-essential travel for the purpose of staying in temporary accommodation such as a hotel, motel or campground.
Eby put evacuee numbers at 35,000, although Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma said it was 30,000, with a further 36,000 on evacuation alert.
Evacuee numbers stood at 15,000 late Friday when Eby announced a provincewide state of emergency in response to the fires.
Ma said the latest order, effective immediately until Sept. 4, restricted travel for anyone planning to stay in temporary accommodation in Kelowna, Kamloops, Oliver, Osoyoos, Penticton and Vernon.
“Let me be clear. Temporary accommodation in the areas I have listed are no longer available for non-essential visits,” she said, adding would-be tourists need to “change your plans.”
People already in accommodations were being asked to check out early, she said. The order excludes travel for medical reasons, funerals and a range of other activities.
Eby also said Solicitor General Mike Farnworth had authorized emergency provisions to allow municipal RCMP resources to be deployed to evacuated areas and secure empty properties.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office issued a statement on Saturday saying he convened the incident response group — made up of ministers and senior officials — to discuss the wildfire situation in British Columbia and the Northwest Territories.
The group agreed on the importance of making additional resources available to both jurisdictions and “working closely with all orders of government in order to support Canadians,” the statement read.
Trudeau also discussed the provincial situation with Eby, his office said in a separate release, noting he pledged to provide all necessary aid from the federal government.
In the Okanagan, West Kelowna fire chief Brolund said firefighters continued to face multiple structure fires.
But he said the previous night’s battle got a boost from calmer and cooler conditions.
He said there were “real successes” overnight thanks to the efforts of about 200 firefighters battling the destructive McDougall Creek wildfire.
“We were still fighting tens, multiple structure fires at the same time in the community. So to call that a reprieve, it just boggles my mind,” he said at the morning news conference.
He said he was sad to report multiple structures were lost again Friday.
“Today the fire fight is on again out there,” he said.
“Normally when we fight a house fire it’s contained to one structure … but these things are all wrapped up in one and it’s an entire street full of houses that’s on fire being faced by these firefighters.”
“That’s the type of things we are facing today. Multiple structures and all of the contamination that comes along with it.”
Kelowna fire chief Travis Whiting also confirmed structural losses in his city, adding he couldn’t confirm specific numbers until after homeowners had been informed.
Claire Blaker came down to the Kelowna waterfront to look across the lake, wondering if her house in the West Kelowna Estates was still standing.
Blaker, a city resident for 13 years, first visited her insurance broker to print out important policy papers, hopeful that she’s covered in case of the worst.
She worried about her sister, who lives less than half a kilometre from her, and her elderly neighbours.
“You could see a number of houses on my street just kind of candling up, one house, then the next house and the next house, so I’m not sure how far down (the fire got),” she said, describing what she saw Friday night.
“It’s just like, what can you do? And, I don’t usually get too emotional but I definitely got some tears welling up at the evacuation centre, and you’re just in shock.”
The extent of the destruction in the Okanagan was underscored by Ross Kotscherofski, chief of the North Westside Fire Rescue service.
He said some of his firefighters had seen their own homes go up in flames.
“Even though some of these members have lost their homes, they still remain dedicated to the community and they show up every single day,” he said.
Fires deemed out of control now burn on both sides of Lake Okanagan, including the devastating McDougall Creek fire that the BC Wildfire Service says covers 105 square kilometres.
Threatening Kelowna on the east side of the lake is the so-called Clifton-McKinley fire, comprised of several blazes.
But conditions were calmer than during Thursday and Friday’s desperate battle against flames that consumed numerous homes and other properties, including the Lake Okanagan Resort.
Jerrad Schroeder of the BC Wildfire Service described Okanagan firefighting conditions Saturday as “subdued compared to the previous night.”
“Today would be characterized as a good firefighting day. It’s a day where we can roll equipment and crews,” he said.
The last new evacuation order in the central Okanagan was issued at 9:18 p.m. on Friday, in contrast to earlier that day and late Thursday when orders poured in.
At least one evacuation order for part of the Westbank First Nation was also downgraded to an alert around midnight.
Saturday dawned cool and calm in Kelowna, with a blue sky visible through the smoky haze.
Chris Durkee and Danielle Mogdam and their five kids just returned to their Kelowna home from a trip to Alberta and thought they were safe from the fire across the lake, only to be awoken by a neighbour banging on their door to tell them a mountainside visible from their yard was on fire.
But Durkee, who has lived in Kelowna for 30 years, said they aren’t panicking just yet — but they have a trailer packed and ready to go should the flames get too close.
Caution persisted among authorities too.
Interior Health recommended that 715 elderly residents be evacuated from seven care homes in West Kelowna and Kelowna. The health authority said it was up to individual operators to arrange the evacuations.
Elsewhere, a series of evacuation orders were issued for residents of the southern Interior Shuswap area Friday night, threatened by the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire and the Bush Creek fire.
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District and area Indigenous nations issued evacuation orders for the Scotch Creek, Lee Creek, Celista, Magna Bay and Little River areas.
The Scotch Creek and Takana Bay bridges were closed and Scotch Creek residents were told to evacuate by boat.
The wildfire service said the lightning-triggered Lower East Adams fire on the east side of the lake had grown to 100 square kilometres, while the Bush Creek fire to the west is now 33 square kilometres.
The service said areas under evacuation alert due to the Bush Creek fire “may receive an evacuation order today” due to severe weather.
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District said Friday was an “unprecedented and profoundly challenging day” as it fought the most devastating fires in its history.
A fire in the Lytton area, meanwhile, forced the evacuations of numerous properties Friday, including the closure of the Trans-Canada Highway, while the Downton Creek fire in the Gun Lake area near Lillooet destroyed homes.
There are about 380 wildfires burning across the province, including 158 that are out of control and 16 wildfires of note that are highly visible or a threat to people or properties.
Firefighters Take Stock Of N.W.T. Fires As Cooler, Wet Weather Expected To End
OFFICIALS SAY THE ‘FIRE’S TAKEN A NAP’ AND IT’S ‘GOING TO WAKE UP’ AS TEMPERATURES RISE
Courtesy of Barrie360.com and Canadian PressPublished: Aug 20th, 2023
Yellowknife
Firefighters trying to keep wildfires at bay from the city of Yellowknife were planning to take stock of the situation this morning after cooler, damp weather gave them a break Saturday.
Crews were to scan the fires with infrared sensors to better understand the condition of the fires and judge whether an attack on them would be safe and successful.
The break that firefighters defending the capital of the Northwest Territories got from about four millimetres of rain is expected to end today, as temperatures are forecast to climb above 20 C.
Wildfire information officer Mike Westwick told a news conference Saturday night that the “fire’s taken a nap” and it’s “going to wake up” as temperatures rise.
The blaze, which prompted the evacuation of almost all 20,000 residents Yellowknife, remained about 15 kilometres from the community yesterday.
Environment and Climate Change Minister Shane Thompson says that over the last week, 68 per cent of the territory’s population has been evacuated due to fires.
No date has been set for anyone to return.
Patricia is the Business Mentor and owner of Grow Vantage and a Past President of the Barrie Chamber of Commerce. She applies over 30 years of business experience (from start-up to corporate) to mentor entrepreneurs. Since 2011, she has held over 6,500 coaching and training sessions in-person and online. Through Ask For Directions Training, her entrepreneurial training program (and parent company Grow Vantage), and as a business coach, she works with start-ups who are new (or who have lost traction) to design, launch and grow their businesses. Along with 20 other expert instructors she teaches strategies in marketing, sales, communications, and finance, as well as practical techniques to increase productivity, and manage their businesses. In other words, everything entrepreneurs need to learn to grow and run their businesses successfully, and avoid the costly mistakes they can't even see coming - that lead to delays in growth and getting stuck.
- Thinking of no gifts this Christmas? Here’s how to talk about it - December 7, 2024
- Health Canada says daily cannabis use hasn’t changed much since legalization - December 7, 2024
- Climate: Canada’s Arctic policy draws on international collaboration to face emerging threats - December 7, 2024