RCMP in Maple Ridge say two people have died following a major crash on Lougheed Highway. They say one other person was airlifted to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police say the collision caused serious damage to two vehicles, with one car torn in half. The cause of the crash is being investigated.
Kelowna RCMP says a man drowned in Wood Lake in BC’s interior on Saturday. It says initial investigation shows the man drowned trying to help another person in the water. Police say that, according to witnesses, other boaters found the two men “in distress” and while one was rescued with a life-jacket, the second man died. They say the BC Coroner’s Service is now investigating.
Some of the people forced to leave their homes because of a wildfire near Lytton were able to return over the weekend, but only for a brief visit. Acting chief of the Lytton First Nation says almost 100 people from his community were told to evacuate and about a third of those were allowed back to salvage food and other things left behind when the fire broke out Thursday. However, John Haugen says six homes were destroyed and electricity in the region isn’t expected to be restored for at least 10 days. The BC Wildfire Service says the wildfire grew to more than 17 square kilometers yesterday and remains classified as “out of control.” Officials say the cause of the blaze is unknown but is being investigated.
The Mayor of Clearwater is calling for better communication from Interior Health, after the unannounced shutdown of the emergency room at his community’s hospital overnight on Saturday. Merlin Blackwell says he wasn’t advised of the 6 pm to 7 am closure — noting this is standard practice. He says it is important that his volunteer fire department be given a heads-up, so it can coordinate with other nearby communities as well as the BC Ambulance Service. Blackwell says he intends to bring up the issue when he meets locally with Interior Health officials today.
BC’s police watchdog is investigating what it calls a “police-involved shooting” in East Vancouver on Saturday. The Independent Investigations Office of BC says it has been advised of the “interaction” with the suspect and officers from the Vancouver Police Department. The department says officers were responding to a call about a break-in when they attempted to stop a vehicle leaving the area. It says the driver before shots were fired and the 52-year-old armed man was injured. Police say no officers were injured, but a police service dog did receive medical treatment for injuries and is expected to recover.
The search for a missing Vancouver Island man has ended. Police in Central Saanich say they are no longer seeking assistance in locating Nathaniel Watters. They say Watters’ body has been found and the death is being investigated by Lake Cowichan R-C-M-P and the B-C Coroner Service. Watters had not been heard from since July 8th, when he was last seen at his parents’ house in the Keating area of Central Saanich.