A fast moving wildfire that prompted evacuation orders and alerts in and around the Kamloops area has grown to 18-square kilometres in size. Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma says the fires burning near Kamloops “are concerning.” While Environment Canada is forecasting a slight chance of rain in the region today, warm and dry conditions are expected for much of the week. The blaze is one of about 480 active fires burning across the province.
Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma has welcomed more international firefighters from Brazil to BC. Ma says she is “grateful” for the added resources as about 480 fires burn across the province. She says they join more than 600 out-of-province firefighters and the nearly two-thousand BC Wildfire Service staff already battling blazes across the province. Ma says this marks the first time Brazil has sent firefighters to BC.
Mounties in Surrey say a man has been returned to US authorities following a fiery crash on Highway 99. They say officers were called about a suspected stolen SUV that had crossed the border into Canada Saturday night and soon found the vehicle on Highway 99 after it had been driven off the road and caught fire. Police say the driver was able to extricate himself from the vehicle and was taken into custody after what they say was a “brief altercation” with police. They say he was transported to the hospital and, after being medically cleared, was released to US law enforcement.
A man was arrested in Surrey, BC, for his role in a fatal stabbing that happened in downtown Toronto in March. Toronto Police say an altercation between a 55-year-old and four other men resulted in the stabbing and while the man was transported to hospital, he died soon after. They say the group fled the scene, but were later arrested. Police say the last of the men — a 28-year-old — was found Monday with the help of Surrey RCMP and was transported back to Ontario before being charged with second-degree murder.
Police in Port Moody say a 14 year old boy is in hospital in critical condition after he nearly drowned in a Metro Vancouver lake. They say that around 4 pm on Saturday, first responders were called to Sasamat Lake for a report of a possible drowning. Police say bystanders and park staff pulled the boy from the lake and performed CPR until they arrived. They say he was then treated by paramedics and firefighters, and was later airlifted to hospital by BC Air Ambulance, where he remains in critical condition.
Victoria-based drag performer Jimbo has been crowned the winner of the eighth season of the popular reality competition show RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. The drag clown has now earned a spot in the coveted “Drag Race Hall of Fame” and 200-thousand US Dollars. This was Jimbo’s third run on a Drag Race show. She is the first international queen and first Canadian to win a US based season of the show.