Okanagan

Fires rage across province

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Firefighting resources are being juggled and reassigned as British Columbia's Wildfire Management Branch handles several blazes, including one that forced about 2,500 people from their homes. The Smith Creek fire near West Kelowna raged to an estimated 400 hectares by Friday morning, only a day after an evacuation order was issued for the...

UPDATE: Aggressive Murray Lake fire partially contained

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - An aggressive fire south of Merritt near Murray Lake is now 30 per cent contained, though an evacuation order for all properties adjacent to the lake remains. The Thompson Nicola Regional District issued the state of emergency and evacuation order around 9 p.m. Wednesday due to the potential threat. The evacuation order covers...

More weather records fall, rain finally in forecast

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - While most of the Interior saw temperatures soar above the mid-30s Wednesday only a few communities actually saw old records broken. Penticton, Osoyoos and Clinton all set new records for July 16 but Osoyoos saw the biggest jump with a temperature of 39.6 Celsius, up nearly three degrees from the previous record set...

Smoky skies advisory for Interior

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Fires to the north of us are causing smoky conditions and the Ministry of Environment is now warning people to take additional precautions because of the smoke. A smoky skies advisory was issued today for the Thompson, Shuswap, Okanagan, Similkameen, Nicola, Boundary and Fraser Canyon areas. Similar advisories have also been issued for...

Fires becoming more aggressive

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - There have been more than 25 wildfires in the Kamloops Fire Centre in the past two days but most of the smoke in the air is coming from the more than 36,000 hectares burning in northern B.C. Just yesterday crews battled fires at Apex Mountain in Penticton, Mt. Boucherie in West Kelowna and...

Sniffing out a new sport

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - There’s a new sport gaining popularity in the Interior and as long as you have a dog, you can do it. Nosework is gaining popularity as a sport that can be done competitively or for fun with any dog, and it’s the ‘any’ part that keeps a lot of dog owners coming back...

UPDATE: Aggressive fire near Coquihalla toll booth prompts evacuation alert

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - An evacuation alert has been issued and B.C. Wildfire is keeping crews off of a fire three kilometres west of the old toll booth along the Coquihalla Highway because it's just too dangerous. “It’s displaying aggressive behaviour, a rank five. It has an organized flame front and is spreading quickly,” Fire Information Officer...

UPDATE: Wildfire burning southwest of Oliver

OLIVER - A wildfire southwest of Oliver has damaged two buildings but no homes or residents. The fire located 8 kilometres southwest of Oliver near Mount Kobau was called in at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday and is 8.2 hectares in size as of Wednesday morning. The fire is 100 per cent contained.  There are currently 14...

Temperature records fall over weekend, heat to continue

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - There is no doubt summer is officially here as record high temperatures fell like sweat droplets in 40 Celsius heat on the weekend. Environment Canada says several communities broke weather records on Saturday, including Lillooet which had a high temperature of 39.7 C passing the 39.4 C recorded in 1926. Sunday also saw...

Over 2,500 cycle in Penticton Granfondo

PENTICTON – There were some pretty famous people riding in the fourth annual Prospera Granfondo Axel Merckx Okanagan in Penticton on Sunday. Olympic medalist Clara Hughes was there as one of the event’s special guests, as was Vancouver Canucks president Trevor Linden and rocker Barney Bentall. The Granfondo featured a 160 kilometre cycling route along...

Local governments team up to save water this summer

OKANAGAN - Okanagan mayors are challenging residents to conserve water this summer as part of the Okanagan WaterWise program. The program is an effort by the Okanagan Basin Water Board, local government and utility partners to encourage outdoor water conservation during the hot and dry summer months. Several mayors and councillors throughout the valley took...

Meteors, supermoons and northern lights

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Skywatchers and photographers can rejoice as they have their pick of fascinating subjects this weekend with the start of a meteor shower, the supermoon making an appearance and a chance of a northern lights show. Saturday night the full moon will be one of three supermoons in a row this summer. The bigger...

Kelowna gets new domestic violence unit

KELOWNA – Victims of domestic abuse have a new resource in Kelowna. The creation of a new Domestic Violence Unit, a first for the Okanagan, was announced by Attorney General and Minister of Justice Suzanne Anton. “The team will provide an urgent, coordinated response to protect families in this community who are at risk or...

Record heat on the way

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Records could fall this weekend as the hot, dry weather trend continues. The expected heat wave will last for at least the next 7 days. In Kamloops temperatures are expected to reach 37 Celsius on Saturday and then around 38 C for the next three days. Record high temperatures are currently 38.6 C...

Smoke in sky from fires in northern B.C.

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Several large fires in the northeastern part of the province are causing a haze across much of the Southern Interior today. B.C. Wildfire Provincial Fire Information Officer Erin Catherall says most of what we can see is likely from the Prince George Fire Zone where two large fires and several smaller ones are...

Farriers not a dying breed, just a hidden one

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - During the horse and buggy age, farriers were as common as mechanics ensuring travellers had four on the floor to get from point A to point B but today, they're an elusive service provider. Anyone with a horse likely uses the service of someone specializing in horse feet. One local farrier says while...

Tropical Tuesday comes close to records

VERNON TOPS PREVIOUS HIGH THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With temperatures soaring into the mid-30s yesterday, it was a close call for many communities but Vernon was alone in setting a new record. With temperatures reaching a high of 34.8 Celsius, Vernon beat the previous record of 34.4 C, set in 1920. Vernon will be a bit cooler...

Keloha music festival takes the stage this weekend

KELOWNA – The annual Keloha music festival is back for the third year in a row, and organizers have managed once again to secure some of the top up-and-coming names in indy, alternative and rock music today. The three day festival features more than 70 live acts, but Wet Ape entertainment director Kelly Shepherd says...

Caution advised after Armstrong mail boxes broken into

ARMSTRONG - Police are asking the public to watch for unusual activity after a set of mail boxes were broken into in the Armstrong area. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says numerous mail boxes at the corner of Lansdowne Road and McLeery Road in Armstrong were tampered with Monday morning. The damage was reported around 8...

Diner en Blanc Okanagan is back for the second year

KELOWNA  – The second annual pop-up picnic known as Diner en Blanc is back in the Okanagan and bigger than ever. Diner en Blanc is a worldwide event where guests dressed all in white gather to be whisked off to a secret location where they dine, drink and socialize. Event organizer Alison Love says 850...

A proposal on the big screen under the stars, in front of hundreds of people

ENDERBY - Risking public humiliation before a massive crowd if she said no, Tony Tomson popped the question. The dramatic moment played out at the Starlight Drive-In July 2, the same place Tomson and his girlfriend Stacey Lamont finished their first date three years ago to the day. It was a hard first date to...

Sun and heat brings ‘very high’ UV ratings

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - After a brief stumbling block this weekend Mother Nature is returning with the full force of the sun behind her, bringing us temperatures well into the 30s over the next week. Temperatures dipped a little closer to normals for a few days heading into the weekend and were followed by a bit of...

Hot, dry June could lead to more fires in July

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Hot, dry and stormy. June was not an ideal month throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre and concerns July could be a very active fire season are still very real. Overall temperatures were slightly above normal and slightly less rain fell. Combined with periods of lightning activity this led to more than 40 new...

Bike camp gives new lease on life

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A young man says a mountain bike camp aimed at helping those affected by substance abuse came at just the right time to save him from himself. “The past two years have been really hard for me, I got suicidal…. I was on lots of pills,” Cameron Model, 25, says. “This camp is...