Latest news with #FortStJohn
CTV News
2 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Warning that cold fronts could trigger ‘extreme fire behaviour' in northeast B.C.
The Kiskatinaw River wildfire burns south of Dawson Creek, B.C. in this Thursday, June 5, 2025 handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, B.C. Wildfire Service *MANDATORY CREDIT* The British Columbia Wildfire Service is warning that forecasted cold fronts today and Sunday in northeastern B.C. are expected to bring strong winds and potential 'extreme fire behaviour' to the Dawson Creek, Fort St. John and Fort Nelson fire zones. That comes after the Peace River Regional District issued a statement last night urging all Kelly Lake residents under evacuation order to leave immediately, saying the advancing wildfire could not be contained. It says the Kiskatinaw River fire could be deadly to those in its path and first responders may be forced to leave if conditions worsen. The blaze, which is about 119 square kilometres in size as of Friday morning, is one of two wildfires of note in the province. The second wildfire of note in the province is the Summit Lake fire, which has burned about 83 square kilometres along the Alaska Highway west of Fort Nelson. The district also issued an evacuation alert for people to be ready to leave at short notice Thursday night due to another blaze, dubbed the Sundance Lake fire, which the wildfire service says is about 40 hectares in size and burning out of control. The wildfire service says in its latest situational report that very hot and dry conditions are forecast across the province this weekend, with Interior and southeast regions expected to see temperatures about five to 10 degrees above seasonal norms. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025. Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press
CBC
3 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Campfires banned in northeast B.C. as winds of 70 km/h forecast to fuel flames
Campfires are banned in northeast B.C. effective noon Thursday as officials prepare for a challenging weekend of high temperatures and gusting winds of up to 70 kilometres an hour. The ban, which also applies to sky lanterns, fireworks and burn barrels, is in effect in the Fort St. John, Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson fire zones. It does not apply to municipalities, which set their own rules around bans, but does apply to all campsites and backcountry areas. The measure is being put into place as the B.C. Wildfire Service warns of volatile conditions starting Friday and lasting through Sunday that could see the rapid growth and movement of both new and existing fires throughout the region, driven by a cold front, possible thunderstorms and high winds. "Following a period of warm, dry conditions, these strong winds are expected to drive extreme fire behaviour and growth towards the east on all wildfires within the Dawson Creek, Fort St. John and Fort Nelson fire zones," the B.C. Wildfire Service said in a bulletin Wednesday evening. "With these conditions, there is also an increased potential for new starts from overwintering fires, particularly in the Fort Nelson fire zone." More limited bans are also in place in the rest of the province. Wildfires of note The service is currently battling two wildfires of note, which are defined as fires that pose a threat to homes or critical infrastructure. The Kiskatinaw River wildfire, south of Dawson Creek, has forced the evacuation of 110 civic addresses near the B.C.-Alberta border and closed Highway 52 East. It's also prompted an evacuation alert in the County of Grande Prairie in Alberta. The majority of impacted people are from Kelly Lake, which was evacuated last Friday. The service said the out of control fire is not currently threatening the community but is growing in its direction. In an update Thursday morning, the service said firefighters from several fire departments across the province are working alongside its crews to prepare sprinkler systems to defend buildings. It said people should not wait to see smoke or fire before they evacuate. More than 100 personnel and 12 helicopters are assigned to the blaze, which spanned almost 74 square kilometres as of 8:30 a.m. Thursday. The other wildfire of note is the Summit Lake fire, which spans about 26 square kilometres along the Alaska Highway west of Fort Nelson. It is not currently threatening the community but has been impacting travel on the Alaska Highway, with officials warning people taking the route to keep a constant check on current conditions through DriveBC and have backup plans and detours in mind as conditions remain unpredictable.
CBC
20-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Fort St. John mother raises alarm about state of health care after son's injury allegedly mishandled
A Fort St. John, B.C., mother is speaking out after she says her son failed to get the care he needed during a visit to the local emergency room. Their story has prompted dozens of other people to weigh in with similar experiences, sparking calls for a review of the level of care available in the northeastern B.C. city. It started May 6 when Melanie Jansen's 15-year-old son, Hudson, fell while riding his bike around their neighbourhood. She said his leg swelled up to roughly three times the size of his other and he reported extreme levels of pain. "He just kept saying, "Mom, there's something's wrong ... This doesn't feel right,'" she said. "He's a 15-year-old boy who tries to tough things out and he was like, 'Mom, let's go to the hospital.' And that's very rare." They were quickly triaged and her son was given X-rays. She said they then wound up waiting more than five hours before getting any followup, in the form of a hallway visit with a doctor who recommend crutches, a tensor bandage and pain killer before getting sent home. But the next day, Jansen received an urgent message from the same doctor who said Hudson needed urgent care. "She said, 'OK, we've gone over the X-rays and you need to get back to the hospital immediately because you need a splint,'" Jansen recalled. She was worried they would once again face long waits but said the doctor assured her they would be seen right away. She also played a voicemail for CBC News from the doctor confirming the hospital had been contacted and was aware of the need for Hudson to be seen immediately. 'Why is that leg not splinted?' However, upon arrival, they saw a second doctor who Jansen said told them he wanted to consult with an orthopedic surgeon at a neighbouring hospital in Dawson Creek prior to making any changes to Hudson's care. After waiting more than five hours again, Jansen said they were told the surgeon was unavailable, and Hudson was sent home with no splint and no new knowledge of what was going on. It wasn't until May 14, more than a week after his initial injury, that Hudson was finally able to see an orthopedic surgeon who was visiting Dawson Creek, a 74-kilometre drive from Fort St. John. "The first thing the surgeon said was, 'Why is that leg not splinted?'" Jansen said. "And we were like, 'Because the hospital sent us home without one." A closer review, Jansen said, found that Hudson had broken a bone — information she hadn't previously been given — and that because his leg hadn't been set in place, the injury had been exacerbated with the break getting wider and wider. Now, they are facing several weeks of waiting to see if the damage can heal on its own or if her 15-year-old son will need surgery to fix the problem. Frustrated, Jansen shared her experience in a personal Facebook post. To her surprise, it picked up steam, attracting dozens of comments from people with similar stories of being unable to get the care they needed in Fort St. John. Jansen said she's not sure of the reasons for the alleged failures but it seems clear to her something needs to change. "It's not just about the wait times, it's about the care," Jensen said. "People are being misdiagnosed. People aren't being diagnosed. People aren't being helped ... It's heartbreaking." Health-care crunch Aside from people with similar stories, she said she has also been contacted by patient advocacy groups and her MLA, Jordan Kealy, for support on the file. Kealy told CBC News health-care concerns are the number one issue facing people living in his riding and that he personally decided to get into politics after his own family experienced barriers getting help. "This isn't just a 'right now' problem that's happened, this has been adding up," he said. "It's very difficult to deal with some of the scenarios and they aren't easy fixes." Like many parts of B.C., Fort St. John is facing a health-care crunch. The largest city in the region, its ER has seen frequent closures, including five nights in a single week in July 2024. As recently as May 14, residents were advised that the city's emergency department was facing long wait times, with people urged to avoid visiting if at all possible. But Jansen, who has five children, said there are few alternatives. Despite living in Fort St. John for most of the past 45 years, she has instead relied on a family doctor she got in Salmon Arm, a community a more than 10,000 km drive away, that she got while living there from 2012 to 2020. "You want to rely on this system," she said. "You want to believe that they're going to give you the care and not send you home when it's not safe to go home ... What kind of system do we have here that's so broken?" Northern Health says case has been reviewed CBC News has been unable to speak to either of the doctors, nor the orthopedic surgeon Jansen and her son saw. In a statement, Northern Health said it is unable to comment on individual cases but that it takes "any concerns raised about quality of care very seriously." It said the case had been reviewed but that it would not be sharing the specifics of what was found. "In general, decisions about patient care are made by the attending physician or specialist. Patients who have questions or concerns about the care they, or a loved one, have received are best to first speak with the person who provided the service, or to the manager of the area. Complaints are best addressed and resolved at the time and place they occur," Northern Health said. The statement also said complaints could be formally registered with the authority's patient care quality office. Jansen said she had not been made aware a review of their case had taken place, nor what the results were. She also said she's been overwhelmed by the response she's gotten to her story and is hoping it can be a platform to help advocate for improved patient outcomes in her city and across the province. "We deserve to have health care we can trust," she said. "Many people have been paying an awful price."
CTV News
13-05-2025
- CTV News
Man arrested after series of shootings in Fort St. John, B.C.
A man has been arrested in relation to a number of shootings that occurred over the course of Sunday in Fort St. John, B.C. Mounties were first called to the area of 96th Street and 97th Avenue at around 12:30 a.m. amid a report of a home invasion with a firearm, the Fort St. John RCMP said in a statement. Just over an hour later, reports of another shooting led officers to the area of 92nd Street and 113th Avenue, police said. At 6:05 p.m. that same evening, a report of a third instance of shots being fired, this time at a home on 269th Road, was made. 'In all three incidents, police attended, secured the scenes to complete exhaustive neighbourhood enquiries, obtained statements and conducted area searches,' said the statement. Officers conducted a search of the home where the third shooting had taken place and found evidence that linked the incident to the first, police said. Sgt. Ian Rissanen said all of the shooting events over the weekend are believed to be related to the Fort St. John drug trade. Kelly Shular was arrested Monday and faces numerous charges including breaking and entering, alongside possession, use and careless use of a firearm. Shular is due to appear in court June 4. Anyone who has information regarding the shooting incidents is asked to contact the Fort St. John RCMP at 250-787-8100.
