Slocan region in Interior B.C. under evacuation order due to multiple wildfires
CBC
The Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) has expanded its evacuation order for the B.C. village of Slocan to include six properties and the Evans Creek Campground in the west side of the Slocan Lake.
The latest upgrade follows the regional district's announcement late Saturday asking residents and visitors in Slocan, a community of about 380 people in southeastern B.C., to evacuate by 8 a.m. PT Sunday.
BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) said it's expecting an increase in fire activity on the Ponderosa wildfire, now mapped at 6.7 square kilometres, and the Mulvey Creek wildfire at about 11 square kilometres, burning on the either side of the village.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, 1,800 people and 1,200 properties are under evacuation orders across B.C.
Slocan Mayor Jessica Lunn said the skies were filled with ominous black smoke while she drove out of her community.
Lunn said most village residents had already left Sunday morning.
"I did a drive through the community, through the village, looking, and most people had left by that point," she said.
"And it just seemed there was that quiet ominous feeling of just thick, thick smoke."
Lunn said being able to give people notice ahead of time was a silver lining and helped officials organize a bus for those who couldn't leave to take them to an evacuation centre in Castlegar, nearly 70 kilometres south of Slocan.
"That did give the community some time to prepare, even though most families and individuals already had a plan in place, because we had been on [evacuation] alert," she said.
But some locals still haven't evacuated yet, said Dan Seguin, the regional district's emergency operations centre director.
"I don't have numbers of how many people have chosen to stay behind. It happens with every evacuation order at this point," Seguin told CBC News.
"It's an unsafe area [and] there's a reason why BCWS recommended the area be on evacuation order and we just urge people to leave the area when they are notified."
Evacuees are directed to head south to the Emergency Support Services (ESS) reception centre at Selkirk College near Castlegar.
Winter can be tough to bear. Even more so if you’re homeless.
Two future national First Nations leaders, a deputy premier and a city councillor are among the prominent Manitobans who appear in declassified intelligence files from years of RCMP spying on the Indigenous rights movement in the Cold War era.
Saskatoon city hall administration is planning to "refresh" the funding strategy for the proposed $1.2-billion downtown arena district amid a lack of commitments from higher levels of government.
A report of fraud tied to a walleye derby is under investigation after Montreal Lake Cree Nation said a participant allegedly violated derby rules and was asked to leave the fishing area.
An Edmonton architectural firm says it is in talks with the provincial government to potentially redevelop the former Royal Alberta Museum.
Does junior football have a future in Prince George?
People are descending upon the city for the dozens of events and live music performances this week as the Juno Awards are set to take place Sunday at Hamilton's TD Coliseum.
For nearly two decades, Amanda Loewen's world ended where the pavement did.
The notion that home ownership guarantees financial security in old age is being challenged by a recent survey.
The family of Nash Prystie has identified him as the man who died in an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) shooting earlier this month north of Kenora, and is calling for more and quicker help for people with mental health challenges.
Playoff action in the Ontario Hockey League gets underway Thursday night for Guelph and Friday in Kitchener.
UPEI wants its faculty to sign on to an updated version of its sexual assault and discrimination policy, but the union that represents the school's academic staff says it wants the policies to be part of its collective agreement.
In Texas this week for a global energy conference, the federal natural resources minister is proclaiming "Canada is back" and ready to bolster its energy sector and grow exports.