Tag Archives: Quadra Wildfires

Disaster

Northern B.C. preparing wildfire resilience plans in face of severe drought

Editor’s note: As of 7:20 AM on Tuesday, January 30, 2024 – the BC Wildfire Service Wildfires Map shows 91 active wildfires. None of them are in our area. The closest are three fires about 300 kilometres to the northeast in the Coldstream Creek area of the Cariboo. Beyond that: all the fires appear to be in the northeast quarter of BC.

There have not been any major fires in our area in recent decades. The largest known fire on Cortes was in Gorge Harbour during 1932. More than half of Quadra Island was consumed by fire in 1925, but the vast majority of fires since then are less than 4 hectares in extent. This may change as the summers continue to get drier. According to CleanBC, “Climate change is causing more frequent and severe wildfires, floods and extreme heat events across B.C.”

By Tom Summer, Alaska Highway News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

With fire still burning in Northern B.C., the Peace River Regional District has begun development of community wildfire resilience plans for their four electoral areas, mapping wildfire risk and identifying high flammability areas. 

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Disaster

BC Legislators in the hot seat to respond to a firefighting crisis

Editor’s note: While there has not been a major fire on Cortes or Quadra Islands for decades, this could change as climate impacts grow stronger. I also think every British Columbian should be concerned when firefighters say ‘the wildfire system is in crisis’ and without ‘significant investments’ and ‘critical restructuring … will not be able to meet the demands of the coming wildfire season.’

By Sidney Coles, Capital Daily, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Members of the British Columbia General Employees Union (BCGEU) went to the BC Legislature on Tuesday to meet with MLAs to lobby for transformational investments they hope will enhance public safety and make it easier for them to recruit and retain members.

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Arts, History, Indigenous Nations History

Robert Bringhurst on local history, science, poetry, the ridge where he lives and much more

On Saturday Robert Bringhurst (RB) brings his own brand of literature, local history, science and humour to the stage of the Quadra Community Centre. He just gave Cortes Currents a taste in a rambling conversation that at one point went off topic to include remarks about Cortes Island, Campbell River and Whistler. Bringhurst started out by describing his intentions in the epic description of ‘the Ridge’ on Quadra Island where he lives.    

RB: “I wanted to make good poetry out of, among other things, good science. I wanted  to walk the ridge and relish it as one does without any thought of scientific measurement or accuracy, but I also wanted to think about it as a real place in historical time and to look at the species in relation to other species on the planet, and at the rocks in relation to other rocks. I began to wonder how much biology, geology, astronomy and climatology I could put in this poem without sinking it. The answer turned out to be quite a bit.” 

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Disaster

Wildfire Update for our area: Day 4 of the State of Emergency

In the midst of the worst fire season in BC’s history, Premier Eby declared a state of Emergency last Friday. 

However there are no major fires in the Discovery Islands. The Village Bay Lake Fire, on Quadra Island, seems to have been brought under control in a single day. Aside from that, the closest wildfires are in Phillips Arm and the Strathcona Provincial Park. 

Cortes Currents asked BC Wildfire Information Officer Kimberly Kelly for an update on local conditions and insight into what they mean.

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Disaster

B.C. firefighters battled through the night to dampen out-of-control Quadra Island wildfire

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

​BC Wildfire Service’s specialized attack crews worked through the night to tame an out-of-control wildfire that broke out in a populated area of Quadra Island Thursday afternoon.

Three first-response crews, a helicopter and two tree-fallers continue to fight the blaze east of Village Bay Lake near Bold Point Road and it has shrunk from four hectares to 1.5 hectares in size, BC Wildfire Service information officer Sam Bellion told Canada’s National Observer early Friday. 

The wildfire service’s latest alert at 11 a.m. said the fire is being held. It broke out in the island’s Village Lakes area, a popular summer destination with numerous recreational properties and homes. 

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