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BC in a state of emergency
Posted: 8/3/2003, 10:52 pm
by thirdhour
There's like 350 forest fires around the province at the moment, one of the biggest being like half an hour from my house. I spent all day yesterday evacuating horses and some of my friends are on 1 hour evacution notice. In one town 75 houses have been burnt and internet and cell phones were down for a couple days.
fun stuff
Huge B.C. fires prompt state of emergency
B.C.'s premier calls the situation in the province the worst in the last 50 years.
KAMLOOPS, B.C. -- Just hours after a massive wildfire forced the B.C. government to declare a state of emergency yesterday in the Thompson-Nicola regional district, a new blaze erupted on a mountain visible from downtown Kamloops. People living in several residential areas just kilometres from Kamloops, including the suburb of Rayleigh, were told to evacuate to an emergency centre set up in Kamloops.
"Most people in Kamloops can see this fire," said Glen Plummer, a spokesperson for the provincial emergency program.
Plummer couldn't say how many people were impacted by the latest evacuation notice.
Approximately 3,500 people living in the surrounding area had already fled to Kamloops from their homes by a massive fire that began in the McLure area, about 40 kilometres north of Kamloops, on Wednesday and rapidly spread north to neighbouring Barriere.
That blaze was estimated to be 40 square kilometres early yesterday.
Premier Gordon Campbell said the state of emergency was aimed at helping crews fighting fires in McLure, Barriere and surrounding areas, and to ensure a co-ordinated response to evacuating residents threatened by the expanding wildfire.
"This is the worst situation we've had and the driest circumstances that we've measured in the last 50 years," said Campbell. "In all likelihood British Columbians have never lived through a drier forest situation than we are living through this summer."
Firefighters had to be pulled back from the Barriere-McLure blaze due to the erratic and volatile nature of the inferno, said Campbell.
Communities emptied by the McLure-Barrier fire also included Louis Creek and the nearby Chinook Cove area, including the Little Fort, Chu Chua and Dunn Lake Road areas.
The McLure-Barriere fire is one of 328 active fires in British Columbia. It's believed 171 of them were caused by people and the rest by lightning.
Forty-four new fires had started since midnight, according to the B.C. Forest Service.
A total of 280 square kilometres have been burned by major blazes so far and the effort to combat them involves about 1,800 firefighters.
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFre ... 51663.html
Posted: 8/3/2003, 10:58 pm
by nelison
It really is a shame. I hope things turn out for the best for everyone in BC.
Posted: 8/3/2003, 11:03 pm
by Joey
awww .. save the horsies
Posted: 8/3/2003, 11:12 pm
by its4am_isanybodyhome
J-Neli wrote:It really is a shame. I hope things turn out for the best for everyone in BC.
i hope so too
Posted: 8/4/2003, 12:14 am
by thirdhour
yeah, whats really amazing though is that they started a drive for people that have lost their homes or can't go back for the moment just yesterday, and already they have too much stuff from everyone that wants to help.
oh, this house right behind someone i know's, well they for some dumbass reason locked their horses in the barn when they left, the people i know had to go break the lock and were going to set the horses free, but luckly someone came by with a trailer right then.
it's amazing how everyone has worked together to help the animals, alot of people are keeping livestock of people they don't know in their backyards, they're willing to help anyone. unfortunatly in some of the places that have been completly wiped out, some animals had to be left behind, but no people have been hurt which is great
but, man...in barriere, one of the worst hit places, the tolko mill was destroyed, which is what the town was surviving on, was destroyed..they're screwed..
i just heard on the news that the fire is getting dangouresly close to sun peaks, a ski mountain in kamloops. and fire climbs quickly up hills
they are trying desperatly to save it, i really hope they do. it will not be good if it gets any closer to kamloops, there simply is no place for that many people to go...
at least the one fire nearest me seems to be dying down at the moment..
Posted: 8/4/2003, 5:59 am
by call me andrew
its natual selection at its best. dont move, just stay. otherwise, you're creating an artificial thingy in witch all you fuckheads still live. die.
Posted: 8/4/2003, 8:10 am
by Solidarity 9-6347
there is only one explanation for all of this
all of you british columbians have angered god and he has decided to wipe out your province. this is what you must do: build and ark and take two of every kind of horse in bc, then pile in your family and sail to freedom.
if that doesn't work, you have my permission to sacrifice andrew to please god
Posted: 8/4/2003, 8:15 am
by superboots
yessssssssssss
Posted: 8/4/2003, 8:15 am
by Solidarity 9-6347
canadians in the hands of an angry god
Posted: 8/4/2003, 9:29 am
by megxyz128
holy english class flashback!
Posted: 8/4/2003, 10:07 am
by its4am_isanybodyhome
there was an article on the front page of my paper today about it. and a picture.
Posted: 8/4/2003, 10:22 am
by Susan
I was reading that too.
I hope they get the fires under control soon...
Posted: 8/4/2003, 10:40 am
by Johnny
THE WEST IS BURNING!!!!
Posted: 8/4/2003, 12:20 pm
by call me andrew
sacrafice me anyway. i dont give a shit.
Posted: 8/4/2003, 3:59 pm
by thirdhour
*sacrifices andrew*
yeah, alberta ain't doing too good either, but hey, no prob for me there
kidding!!
Posted: 8/4/2003, 4:06 pm
by Dabekk
Canada's been getting some bad karma lately eh
Posted: 8/4/2003, 9:01 pm
by Henrietta
we are having fires too...but not that many!
Posted: 8/4/2003, 11:11 pm
by Dabekk
hey I heard something on the news yesterday about canadian firefighters not being allowed into the u.s. to help with the fires, don't think I heard to whole story tho.
Posted: 8/6/2003, 12:41 pm
by thirdhour
why? ohhh, is it that washington fire? the helicopters have to come to bc to get supplies for that....
Posted: 8/8/2003, 12:00 am
by rustynation
I wish some of the rain here in the Northeastern U.S. can move over to BC to help put out the forest fires. The other day, my wet socks could have done so.