KAMLOOPS - WorkSafeBC has fined the Provincial Government over $750,000 in connection with a pair of incidents involving the BC Wildfire Service that date back to 2023. An administrative penalty of $759,368.84 was levied on Sept. 25 following investigations into the two incidents - one of which led to the death of a fi...

100 MILE HOUSE, B.C. - A notable, lengthy prescribed burn mission will be taking place in the 100 Mile House wildfire zone over the next two months. The BC Wildfire Service says it's supporting the 100 Mile House Natural Resource District in carrying out five wildfire rehabilitation projects in areas from previous wild...

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. - The BC Wildfire Service is carrying out another prescribed burn in partnership with Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN). An eight-hectare burn near Brunson Lake, nearly seven kilometres south of WLFN, is expected to begin as early as Tuesday (Oct. 21). The wildfire service says the burn may continue...

ALEXIS CREEK, B.C. - The BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) is preparing for a pair of prescribed burns west of Williams Lake.The burns could begin as soon as Tuesday (Oct. 14) near the community of Yunisit'in and southwest of Alexis Creek, in the Siwash area.BCWS plans to burn a total of 220 hectares, split into to treatment ...

SALMON ARM, B.C. - A prescribed burn north of Shuswap Lake could begin as early as Wednesday (Oct. 8). The BC Wildfire Service says it will support BC Timber Sales in carrying out a prescribed burn of 54 hectares east of Seymour Arm. In a news release issued Monday, the wildfire service says smoke may be visible from S...

KAMLOOPS - The Mine Creek wildfire burning along the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt is now under control. In an update Wednesday (Oct. 1), the BC Wildfire Service said the fire that briefly closed the stretch of Highway 5 last month is not expected to spread beyond its current perimeter of 2,904.3 hectares...

KAMLOOPS - Kamloops Fire Rescue (KFR) has had a busy 24 hours, fighting a pair of landscape fires in the city.On Sunday (Sept. 28) afternoon, multiple crews, including tenders and bush trucks, responded to the area around the Owl Road landfill near Juniper Ridge. Crews on the ground were reporting Rank 2 and 3 fire beh...

VICTORIA - The BC Wildfire Service says fire season is expected to continue into the fall in British Columbia as risks for new blazes remain for much of the province. The service's seasonal outlook says the risk is especially high in the Cariboo region...

KAMLOOPS - Less than 24 hours after it was discovered, the Stuart Lake wildfire north of Kamloops is being held.In an update to its website, the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) says the fire is measured at 3.7 hectares and is not expected to expand beyond its current boundaries.The fire was spotted last night in the Jamieso...

KAMLOOPS - Smoke is expected to be highly visible from the Yellowhead Highway near McLure and surrounding communities north of Kamloops Wednesday (Sept. 17). The BC Wildfire Service says the Stuart Lake wildfire burning near Jamieson Creek grew to three hectares since being discovered Tuesday night. Eliza Balkwill, a f...

MCLURE, B.C. - Firefighters are responding to a new wildfire that is currently burning west of McLure in the North Thompson. According to the BC Wildfire Service, the one-hectare fire is burning in the Stuart Lake area near Jamieson Creek, north of the City of Kamloops. The BC Wildfire Service has a team of firefighter...

KAMLOOPS - The Mine Creek wildfire burning along the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt is currently being held. In an update Monday (Sept. 15), the BC Wildfire Service said it means the fire that briefly closed the highway earlier this month is expected to remain within its current boundary that is estimated ...

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. - The BC Wildfire Service is expecting an uptick in fire activity across the Chilcotin this weekend because of forecasted winds. In a statement, it says sustained winds of 15 km/h with gusts up to 30 km/h are expected from the south-southwest in the western Chilcotin Fire Zone, and south-southeast i...

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. - A campfire ban for the Cariboo Fire Centre has been extended. The BC Wildfire Service says the prohibition will remain in effect until Sept. 30, or until the order is rescinded, rather than the initial estimated lifting at 12:00 p.m. Thursday (Sept. 11). In an update Wednesday, the wildfire servic...

KAMLOOPS - This weekend saw success for the BC Wildfire Service, including holding the Noble Canyon fire and continued strong showings by initial attack crews. The weather this week does call for a chance of thunderstorms, which could make fires difficult to control due to a lack of precipitation. "This weekend, w...

HOPE, B.C. - Weather conditions at the Mine Creek wildfire site have turned in favour of the BC Wildfire Service. Crews responding to the wildfire burning on both sides of the Coquihalla Highway north of Hope experienced temperatures of around 20 C and relative humidity upwards of 55 per cent Sunday (Sept. 7), and thos...

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. - The Cariboo Regional District has issued new evacuation orders for 85 parcels and 42 structures in the Smokey Lake fire area. It also issued an evacuation alert for 36 parcels and one structure in the area of the 58 square kilometre lightning-caused fire. The West Chilcotin Health Centre is also o...

KAMLOOPS - (UPDATE 12:00 p.m.): Smoke continues to be a challenge for crews fighting wildfires from the air in the southern and central Interior of British Columbia. The BC Wildfire Service says smoke alters local weather patterns by acting like cloud cover, which reduces the amount of sunlight that reaches the ground ...

HOPE, B.C. - (UPDATE 4:15 p.m.): The BC Wildfire Service says the Mine Creek wildfire north of Hope is now estimated to be around 30-square kilometres in size. It's down slightly from the previous estimate of 41 square kilometres, as crews were able to accurately map the fire perimeter thanks to lower fire behaviour an...

KAMLOOPS - Tkemlúps te Secwépemc says it is extending its support to evacuees from the Ulkatcho First Nation who have been displaced by wildfire. In a statement, it said a group of Elders and community members arrived in Kamloops on Thursday (Sept. 4) evening, and that they're being accommodated at a loca...

KAMLOOPS - (UPDATE 11:15 a.m.): Police say two people were killed and three others were "seriously wounded" after a head-on crash involving a vehicle that was driving the wrong way on the Coquihalla south of Kamloops Friday (Sept. 5) night. The BC Highway Patrol said the double-fatal crash between a grey Dodg...

Wildfires burning in the B.C. Interior have prompted local officials to issue a new set of evacuation orders. The Ulkatcho First Nation and the Cariboo Regional District issued the orders for areas around Anahim Lake, Nimpo Lake and Charlotte Lake due to the threat of two encroaching wildfires. A state of local emergen...

MERRITT, B.C. - The Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt has reopened as of noon Friday (Sept. 5).The highway had been closed to all traffic since Wednesday (Sept. 3) afternoon as the Mine Creek fire flared up and jumped across the major highway as it grew towards the east."Due to the proximity of the fire,...

KAMLOOPS - The BC Wildfire Service says police are investigating after one of its firefighting aircraft was struck by a civilian drone that was being illegally flown in restricted airspace.It says the incident on Tuesday evening involved a bird dog plane that directs airtankers and other aircraft, and occurred during o...

KAMLOOPS - The Mine Creek wildfire northeast of Hope saw aggressive growth Wednesday (Sept. 3) afternoon. Activity was moderate until a sudden shift in wind, which quickly sent flames down the mountainside and across the Coquihalla Highway. And for more than 24 hours now, both lanes of Highway 5 have been shut down for...

KAMLOOPS - Environment Canada currently has removed one of its weather alerts active for the Kamloops region. While a heat warning for the Thompson region has ended, a special air quality statement remains in effect due to late season wildfire activity. The smoke is expected to hang around for a few days, with the heat...

KAMLOOPS - The BC Wildfire Service is warning of a dynamic situation on the Mine Creek wildfire burning along the Coquihalla Highway north of Hope. As of Thursday (Sept. 4) morning, the Mine Creek wildfire is measured at around 1,900 hectares in size, and its nearly quadrupled from the last update of 483 hectares. Tayl...

MERRITT, B.C. - The Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) has issued an evacuation order and an evacuation alert in connection with the Mine Creek wildfire. The evacuation order covers one property - 6705 Juliet Drive - in Electoral Area "N" (Beautiful Nicola Valley - South). The evacuation alert covers 84...