2022. 9. 12. 11:13ㆍ■ 국제/CANADA
Out-of-control wildfires in B.C. lead to evacuation orders, alerts and smoky skies (msn.com)
Out-of-control wildfires in B.C. lead to evacuation orders, alerts and smoky skies
As smoky skies fill much of British Columbia's Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, 191 wildfires continue to burn across the province, leading to hundreds of people on evacuation alert, as well as evacuation orders in the Peace region.
www.msn.com
Out-of-control wildfires in B.C. lead to evacuation orders, alerts and smoky skies
Joel Ballard - 7h ago
As smoky skies fill much of British Columbia's Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, 191 wildfires continue to burn across the province, leading to hundreds of people on evacuation alerts, as well as evacuation orders in the Peace region.
Right now, five of the active wildfires are considered notable: the Flood Falls Trail and Heather Lake wildfires in the Coastal fire centre; the Fry Creek wildfire in the Southeast fire centre; and the Battleship Mountain and Bearhole Lake wildfires in the Prince George fire centre.
An air quality advisory has been issued for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley because of high concentrations of fine particulate matter from wildfire smoke in B.C. and the United States.
Evacuation order for Laidlaw, B.C.
Sunday, the Fraser Valley Regional District issued an evacuation order for a handful of properties in Laidlaw due to the nearby Flood Falls Trail wildfire.
Laidlaw is a small, unincorporated settlement along Hwy 1, west of Hope.
Four properties on the south side of the highway have been ordered to evacuate.
"Due to hot, dry condition and gusty winds, there is an increase in fire behaviour causing high fire risk," according to a news release from the district.
The Flood Falls Trail wildfire has now grown to 4.58 square kilometres and prompted the district of Hope and the Fraser Valley Regional District to issue an evacuation alert.
Residents should gather all essential items, including medications and important documents, fill their vehicles' gas tanks, arrange potential accommodations and implement a plan to safely move livestock, the district said in a news release.
Residents can reduce the risk of fire around their homes by moving firewood away from their house; clearing debris from their roofs; keeping grass length under 10 centimetres; removing flammable devices, such as barbecues; and clearing leaves from under decks, balconies and patios, the release said.
Evacuation order for Hudson's Hope, B.C.
An evacuation order was issued Saturday for the municipality of Hudson's Hope, located southwest of Fort St. John in the Peace region.
The Battleship Mountain wildfire, which has scorched 242 square km, is burning out of control about 50 kilometres west of the community of about 850 people.
"We're trying to get as many people out of the area as possible," said Mayor Dave Heiberg.
Related video: Evacuations in place as wildfire quadruples size in B.C.
"The fire is very aggressive. It's not wanting to be tamed."
The Peace River Regional District also issued evacuation orders for properties outside of Hudson's Hope, in electoral areas B and E.
A reception centre has opened in Fort. St John and, on social media, residents in nearby communities have offered support, shelter and space to store livestock.
More than 65 firefighters, 12 helicopters and 16 pieces of heavy equipment are battling the fire, which was first discovered on Aug. 30.
BC Wildfire information officer Shannon Street says the Battleship Mountain fire has seen significant growth over the last 48 hours.
"There's no real end in sight as far as precipitation in the forecast goes, so we are expecting to continue that growth," she said, adding that it has been a very dry summer season and recent temperatures have been above the seasonal average.
"During the daytime, we aren't getting those cooler September temperatures that we normally would get."
She says crews are busy setting up sprinklers to protect structures like W.A.C Bennett dam, as well as the community of Hudson's Hope.
Evacuation alerts remain for Eastgate
The small community of Eastgate, near Manning Provincial Park in southern B.C., is still on evacuation alert due to the Heather Lake fire, which is burning about five kilometres south of Manning Park resort.
"An evacuation alert has been issued to prepare you to evacuate your premises or property should it be found necessary," said Sean Vaisler, emergency operations director for the regional district of Okanagan-Similkameen.
The fire has now grown to 86.63 square km and is being fought by both Canadian and U.S. wildfire agencies, as the fire has stretched across the international border.
Smoky skies prompt warning
On Sunday afternoon, the eastbound lanes of Highway 1 were closed between Chilliwack and Hope for a 35 kilometre stretch due to a wildfire burning nearby.
A detour is in place for eastbound traffic via Highway 9 and Highway 7, but several motorists said over social media that congestion was causing hours long waits to get to the detour.
In Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, and the Greater Victoria, the skies have turned grey due to wildfire smoke.
A fire burning at a wood recycling facility in Vancouver is also contributing to the poor air quality in multiple municipalities, including Burnaby, Richmond, New Westminster, Surrey and Coquitlam, the organization Metro Vancouver says.
It has issued an air quality advisory, warning of high concentrations of fine particulate matter. It says the poor air quality is expected to persist through the weekend.
Metro Vancouver says fine particulate matter refers to solid or liquid droplets that can easily penetrate indoors because of their small size.
It's advising people to postpone or reduce outdoor physical activity, especially if breathing feels uncomfortable, including for children and pregnant women as well as for people with underlying conditions like lung disease, asthma and diabetes.
Metro Vancouver says air conditioning can offer some relief from the pollution, and public buildings like libraries may serve as places of refuge in some communities.