Wildfire breaches Chipewyan Lake, temporarily stranding firefighters
Two firefighting crews in northern Alberta temporarily lost contact with their command centre Thursday evening after a wildfire breached the community they were working to protect.
The firefighters in Chipewyan Lake – four municipal firefighters and four firefighters specialized in preventing wildfire spread in urban settings – lost radio contact around 8:40 p.m., according to Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen and the Municipal District of Opportunity.
Authorities knew they were safe; one team sheltered at the community's fire station, while the other sheltered in the school, which had been designated the emergency shelter.
Attempts to use night-vision helicopters failed because of the heavy smoke, so at midnight, officials were still working on an extraction plan.
Eventually, it was determined the road out of the community was safe and the stranded teams drove out, assisted by a 20-person forestry crew who cleared felled trees.
More details are expected Friday, but the municipal district said 'preliminary reports indicate that there is structure loss in the community.'
This is a developing news story. More to come…
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
22 minutes ago
- CBC
Three rescued mine workers on their way home
July 25, 2025 | The three rescued drillers are on their way home after 60 hours deep underground in a B.C. mine. Also, it's looking increasingly unlikely Canada and the U.S. will ink a trade deal by Aug. 1. And the Trump administration's meetings with Ghislaine Maxwell.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
B.C. biker clubhouse to become centre for addiction, mental health recovery
A former clubhouse for biker gangs on Vancouver Island is being transformed into a wellness centre. A building in Langford, B.C., once occupied by biker gangs is being transformed into a wellness centre for people recovering from addiction and mental illness. The building was previously used by the Savages Motorcycle Club, and before that, the Devil's Army — both of which police say are tied to the Hells Angels. The clubhouse went on the market last year, after it was raided by police during a drug trafficking and organized crime investigation. About two weeks ago, the Construction Federation of BC (CFBC) bought the property for $1.1 million. '(We're) basically taking the building from notorious to glorious,' said CFBC executive director Abigail Fulton. CFBC is a charity dedicated to supporting people in the construction industry. It plans on turning the space into a wellness hub for tradespeople, called The Forge. 'The building becomes a refuge, a place of hope and wellness for the community,' Fulton said. CFBC needs to fundraise $500,000 to refurbish the building and expand its footprint, she said. It's anticipated renovations will be completed by next summer. 'It's been a couple of decades where the neighbors have been pretty disappointed about the things that were happening at this facility, and now we get to change that script,' said CFBC philanthropy director Mike Manhas. Once the centre opens, the plan is to offer peer support, clinical counsellors, recovery coaching, and a social club. The Forge's services will not include treatment beds or harm reduction services. 'People get sent to treatment, get released, go back into the community and large numbers relapse,' Manhas said. 'When you've gone through the harm reduction piece — (and) there are lots of people providing those services — our job is to provide that recovery piece that no one's providing.' Manhas will help run the centre's programs, alongside carpenter and CFBC industry relations manager Trevor Bodkin. Both men are in recovery. 'The idea being that we take workers like myself with lived experience not only on the tools … but we train them in actually how to use their lived experience of mental health and substance use challenges and recovery to support other workers,' Bodkin said. The Forge team is hosting a ground breaking ceremony next Thursday.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
B.C. neighbours unite to fill hallways with art, gardens with fairies to inspire positivity
Adam finds out how a pair of neighbours improved their moods by inspiring others. SAANICH, B.C. — More than having a bad day, Liette Wilkins was enduring a whole bunch of them. 'I needed something to lift me up,' Liette says. 'I usually do gardens.' But because she was dealing with a debilitating health issue, Liette's garden was dirt, and Liette was depressed. 'I was feeling 'down and out in Beverly Hills,' as I call it,' Liette says. It turns out her neighbour Claude Gamache was facing a few health issues too. 'We were both going through something intense at the same time,' Claude says. The difference was Claude could still do what brought him joy. 'I've been making art all my life,' Claude says. 'Since I was a little kid.' Since his opera-singing mom taught him a song in French that translated to, 'Show me how to love, show me how to give, how to share' – Claude suggested that he and Liette share their creativity. 'You need to get up and go and start doing something that makes you feel good,' Liette says. While that's easier said than done when it comes to depression, there was that other D-word that was more manageable. 'The D-word is dull-looking,' Liette laughs. She and Claude felt the hallways in their apartment building were dull-looking and the walls were blank. 'There was nothing,' Claude says. 'Not a piece of art in the whole building.' B.C. neighbours use garden fairies to spread positivity So, they approached their neighbours and invited them to donate a meaningful picture, before Liette and Claude refurbished all sorts of thrift store frames, and got permission to fill the hallways with more than than 400 pieces of art. 'The beauty of that is to know that you get to meet the people,' Claude smiles. After cultivating a sense of community inside, Liette and Claude turned their attention to her empty garden plot outside. 'Let's make a fairy garden,' Liette said, before searching thrift stores for items to create it with. So, they transformed the bare soil into a bountiful stage for countless characters and colours — by asking one question. 'What can we share to help lift people up?' Claude smiles. Claude and Liette say it not only inspired other tenants to get creative with their gardens, it also prompted so many folks walking by to stop and smile that they started collecting thank you notes and documenting dozens of positive interactions from people of all ages. 'Now I come out here when I feel 'down and out in Beverly Hills' and it makes my heart happy,' Liette smiles. Because if we work to elevate others, Liette and Claude have learned, positivity is perennial.
