The BC Wildfire Service says the Bush Creek East fire in the Shuswap region remains the province’s top-priority blaze, and up to 150 more firefighters are scheduled to arrive by later today. Information officer Forrest Tower says the wildfire was tempered by heavy rain yesterday, with one weather station on the blaze’s eastern edge reporting 20 millimetres of precipitation. Tower says varying amounts of rainfall were also recorded on the wildfire’s western edge, which reached more than 15 millimetres, leading to a widespread diminishing of fire behaviour. BC’s southern Interior has been ravaged by wildfires in the last week, with more than 25 thousand people currently evacuated from their homes.
Prince George RCMP say they continue to investigate an explosion at an abandoned building downtown earlier this week, with most streets in the area now reopen to traffic. Police say the only remaining closure on Dominion Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues will stay closed for the duration of the investigation, which is expected to last several days. Prince George Fire Rescue, Technical Safety BC and utilities provider Fortis BC have all joined police investigators at the scene to gather data and determine the cause of the explosion. Police say no updates have been provided on the victims sent to hospital in the explosion, which happened on Tuesday morning.
A Coquitlam man has been sentenced to 13 months in jail after being convicted of child pornography charges. Police say 39 year old Christopher Thomas Smith was convicted earlier this week for publishing, distributing and possessing the material. In addition to the jail term, Smith was also sentenced to three years of probation and must obey a number of conditions governing his access to children under 16 of age. Police say Smith was originally arrested in October 2019 following a joint online investigation by the RCMP’s child exploitation unit and Victoria police launched in 2018.
Highway 4 will be closed from 8:30 am to 9 pm today so crews can finish clearing away boulders at the Cameron Lake Bluffs. This is the second of two full-day closures so crews can remove approximately a dozen refrigerator-sized boulders as part of the rock-scaling work being done at Angel Rock. The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says this is the most challenging segment of the bluff. The ministry says after today, the highway will continue to be closed daily from 9 am to 11:30 am, and from 1:30 pm to 5 pm until the work is completed.
Coquitlam RCMP say they are looking for additional victims and video evidence after a man damaged a number of parked vehicles in the Maillardville neighbourhood. Police say the male suspect was arrested Tuesday night after reports surfaced of someone damaging parked cars between 10 pm and 11:30 pm. Investigators say they believe the man travelled northbound from Brunette Avenue and Allard Street up to Marmont Street and Charland Avenue, although the exact route is unknown. Police are asking residents of the area to check if their cars were damaged, as well as for dash cam footage recorded around the time of the incident.
RCMP are investigating after a boat was stolen from a mooring pin in North Saanich. The Mounties say it happened on Saturday near Lochside Drive. They say the fishing vessel is white and more than five-and-a-half-metres long with an enclosed cabin and licence number 6K8272. Anyone with information is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.