Castlegar fire ban in effect now
Due to the very dry weather conditions, the City of Castlegar is implementing a prohibition on all outdoor burning effective July 6 (today) until further notice. This prohibition includes backyard campfires and fireworks. Deputy fire chief Sam Lattanzio said conditions within the city (as well as the rest of the province) ...
UPDATED: Southeast Fire Centre says Sitkum Creek wildfire now estimated 300 hectares
The Southeast Fire Centre in a late Sunday news release said the Sitkum Creek blaze has increased in size to a now estimated 300 hectares. The larger estimated size of this fire is due to increased visibility on Sunday which permitted more accurate mapping. "The majority of the fire's growth occurred due to high temperatures...
Evacuation Alert remains in place for Sitkum Creek South and Willow Point residents
The evacuation alert for approximately 350 residences between Sitkum Creek South and Willow Point (Six Mile Lakes Road) remains in place said Sangita Sudan Regional District of Central Kootenay Emergency Operations Centre. “At this point the Southeast Fire Centre crews are working at building a guard and at this point the...
Sitkum Creek wildfire grows to 150 hectares overnight
Southeast Fire Centre spokesperson Jordan Turner said crews would be out in full force this morning to battle the Sitkum Creek wildfire that grew significantly overnight. Turner said the interface wildfire that started at 10 hectares Saturday afternoon grew overnight to more than 15 times the original estimate. “Right now the...
RDCK issues Evacuation Alert for Duhamel/Sitkum due to North Shore wildfire
The Regional District of Central Kootenay Emergency Operations Centre has has imposed an evacuation alert concerning the interface wildfire burning on the North Shore outside of Nelson, now called the Sitkum Creek Fire (#SitkumCreek). (An interface fire is a wildland fire that puts communities and people at risk. A wind-driven...
UPDATED: Sitkum Creek/Duhamel Creek now approximately 60 hectares in size
It didn't take long for the Sitkum Creek/Duhamel Creek fire to grow. The Southeast Fire Centre is reporting the fire, located approximately four kilometers north of Nelson, had ballooned to 60 hectares in size. Status remains active as helicopters and multiple airtanker groups continue to battle the blaze until nightfall. The...
UPDATED: Wildfire outside Castlegar 100% contained
Sunday evening brought with it some good news for Castlegar residents. Jordan Turner, information officer with the Southeast Fire Centre reported that a wildfire just one kilometre away from the city was 100 per cent contained and in the mop up stage. Previous coverage: Initial attack crews from the Southeast Fire Centre are...
OUT OF LEFT FIELD: Trail and Castlegar's good Karma?
Has anyone else noticed how very different the current news cycle is, compared to what we've become accustomed to? We had a couple of stretches where it seemed like we were dealing with one horrific, traumatizing, heartbreaking story after another - I spent many nights on the phone or Facebook chat with readers trying to sort...
Mayor offers thanks for storm-damage management
Castlegar mayor Lawrence Chernoff is expressing gratitude in the aftermath of a significant storm Monday evening. "On behalf of the Castlegar City Council and the residents of the City of Castlegar, I would like to thank our emergency responders, City workers and Castlegar residents for their efforts and hard work during the...
UPDATED: Missing couple found, safe and sound
The couple reported missing has been found safe and sound, according to RCMP Sgt. Laurel Mathew. "They had made a detour from their destination and spent the night in a camp site, with no cell service to update their family." Previous coverage: The Castlegar RCMP are asking the public to keep their eyes open for a...
