Skip to content

Morning Start: California wildfires consume area larger than half of Vancouver Island

Your morning start for Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020
22869934_web1_West_coast_wildfires_ESA22200484
A Sept. 10 satellite image shows smoke from U.S. wildfires blanketing the majority of the west coast. (European Space Agency)

Good morning, today’s weather will hover around 22C, with clouds.

Fact of the day: California wildfires have consumed area larger than half of Vancouver Island

By comparison, wildfires in California this year have consumed an area larger than half of Vancouver Island, 50.6 per cent of its total land mass to be exact.

As of September 29, 2020, a total of 8,155 fires have burned 4,018,888 acres (1,626,386 hectares) of land. Vancouver Island measures 7,940,480 acres (3,213,398 hectares) in size.

This consists of more than four per cent of California’s roughly 100 million acres of land.

Over 17,000 firefighters are currently on the ground battling 26 major wildfires across the state. Since the beginning of the year, 7,200 structures have been destroyed, and 29 fatalities have occurred.

The total estimated cost of the fires so far is more than $1.521 billion.

Weather forecast according to environment Canada:

In Kelowna:

In Vernon:

In Penticton:

In Salmon Arm:

In case you missed it: Guns seized in relation to southeast Kelowna murder investigation

RCMP executed a search warrant on a West Kelowna residence Tuesday, Sept. 29, in connection to a southeast Kelowna homicide investigation.

A man at the home in McDougall Estates RV Park said police attended his residence, seizing several firearms, some of which he claimed hadn’t been fired in the past two years.

The man called the search “illegal” saying the investigation likely found its way to his home by way of his son.

Police confirmed the search warrant was executed in relation to the late-August killing of Cory Allan Patterson, an incident which happened during the middle of the day.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact the Kelowna RCMP.

Song of the Day: School - Supertramp

Video of the day: Pennsylvania man captures all walks of life crossing log bridge

READ MORE: B.C. counts 125 new COVID-19 cases, up to 1,284 active

Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: phil.mclachlan@kelownacapnews.com


 

@newspaperphil
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.



Phil McLachlan

About the Author: Phil McLachlan

Phil McLachlan is the editor at the Penticton Western News. He served as the reporter, and eventually editor of The Free Press newspaper in Fernie.
Read more