Nanaimo news

• UPDATE: Splatsin First Nation issues evacuation order and alert for Bradley Creek wildfire

  02-08-2026 04:54 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE: Aug. 2, 1:40 a.m.
  Three properties in Salmon River IR1 have been placed on evacuation order by the Splatsin First Nation Kukpi7 & Tkwamipla. The properties ordered to leave the area immediately are 5211 Heywood Armstrong Rd., 5217 Heywood Armstrong Rd. and 4909 Salmon River Rd.All remaining properties in Salmon River IR1 have been placed on evacuation alert and should be ready to leave at any time.The Bradley Creek wildfire is still estimated to be 1,047 hectares in size and burning
  
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• Westbank First Nation opens gym to shelter wildfire evacuees

  02-08-2026 09:16 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Three wildfires burning on the west side of Okanagan Lake have prompted thousands of properties to be placed under evacuation orders and alerts.
  Wildfire evacuees and Okanagan Indian Band members are invited to seek shelter at the Westbank First Nation gym, 1920 Quail Lane, Westbank.
  The facility has snacks, water, a limited number of sleeping mats, washroom facilities, and security-patrolled parking.
  Emergency Support Services will open at 9 a.m. at Westbank Lions Hall.
  
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• UPDATE: Spallumcheen expands evacuation orders, wildfire crossed Highway 97

  02-08-2026 04:54 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE: 10:20 p.m.
  The evacuation order has expanded for the Township of Spallumcheen as the Bradley Creek wildfire is pushed north by the wind.Embers have been reported falling in the area and those in the area directly west of Armstrong are advised to leave immediately.Evacuees can register at the Hassen Memorial Arena in Armstrong.Structure protection and defence are expected to be on scene of the Bradley Creek wildfire overnight.BC Wildfire reports aggressive behaviour from the fire heading
  
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• UPDATE: Section of Hwy 97 near Vernon closed by Bradley Creek Wildfire

  02-08-2026 04:54 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE: 8:33 p.m.
  Highway 97 has been closed between Old Kamloops Road in Vernon and Salmon River Road due to the Bradley Creek Wildfire.
  The neighbouring Westside Road has also been closed from Highway 97 until Bonneau Road because of the blaze.So far, the wildfire has caused three evacuation ALERTS and two evacuation ORDERS to be issued in the North Okanagan.
  The fire is 1,047 hectares according to BC Wildfire, who have committed nine Initial Attack Crews, three operational field staff, four
  
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• UPDATE: Evacuation alert added to western side of Armstrong due to Bradley Creek wildfire

  02-08-2026 04:54 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE: Aug. 2, 12:24 a.m.
  The City of Armstrong has added an evacuation alert due to the Bradley Creek wildfire.
  Around 12:15 a.m., the City issued the alert to all properties along the western edge of the city.
  The properties include:3075, 3275 Fraser Road;
  3909, 3915, 3945, 3955, 3965, 3985 Wood Avenue;4000 Noble Road;
  2915, 3065, 3185 Otter Lake Road;
  3930 Patten Drive;
  2365 Pleasant Valley Road.“If you live in the affected area, be prepared to leave on short notice if conditions chang
  
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• UPDATE: Wildfire near La Casa reaches 10 hectares, evacuation orders remain

  02-08-2026 04:50 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE: Aug. 2/26 at 12:20 a.m.
  The Quilpituk Creek wildfire has grown to 10 hectares.BC Wildfire Service has not provided any information on the behaviour of the blaze.An evacuation order was issued just before midnight for properties north of Nahun and south of La Casa.With Westside Road closed northbound due to aggressive Bradley Creek wildfire and people are to evacuate south toward West Kelowna.UPDATE: 11:45 p.m.
  All properties north of Nahun and south of La Casa are on order to evacuate.Th
  
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• UPDATE: La Casa on evacuation alert as wildfire sits at 2 hectares

  02-08-2026 04:50 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE: 11:40 p.m.
  The La Casa area in Central Okanagan is now on evacuation alert due to the Quilpituk Creek wildfire.The wildfire remains at two hectares, but sits between the Blue Grouse Creek and Bradley Creek wildfires.Residents in the area should be prepared to leave at any time.Westside Road is closed northbound from the Bradley Creek wildfire. In the event the evacuation alert is upgraded to an order, those leaving La Casa must head south toward West Kelowna.UPDATE: 10:40 p.m.
  A wildfire
  
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• UPDATE: Evacuation order issued due to wildfire near La Casa

  02-08-2026 04:50 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE: 11:45 p.m.
  All properties north of Nahun and south of La Casa are on order to evacuate.The Central Okanagan Regional District issued the order for the following properties:
  5455 and 5495 Deighton Road
  5625, 5875, 6409, 6421, 6433, 6445, 6457, 6469, 6493, 6481 Westside Road
  Anyone in the area should leave immediately. Westside Road is closed northbound due to another wildfire and evacuees should go south toward West Kelowna.Emergency Support Services will be available at Westbank Lions Ce
  
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• UPDATE: OKIB calls for more Evacuation Orders due to wildfire near Vernon, Westside Road closed

  02-08-2026 02:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE: 5:05 p.m.
  The Bradley Creek wildfire continues to cause Evacuation Orders and alerts near Vernon Saturday evening.According to the Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB), Evacuation Orders have been issued for all properties North of Bonneau Road and South of Highway 97, and all properties across the lake along Head of the Lake Road, Hawhola Road, and all properties up to the OKIB IR 1 boundary.People in the area must evacuate immediately due to the wildfire causing risk to human life and safety.&l
  
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• UPDATE: OKIB calls for Evacuation Order due to wildfire near Vernon, Westside Road closed

  02-08-2026 00:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE: 3:55 p.m.
  The Okanagan Indian Band Emergency Operations Centre has called for an Evacuation Order for all properties north of Mary Emerald Bay Road to Simila Road due to the Bradley Creek Wildfire.As of 3:30 p.m., a tactical evacuation is underway for residents on Pebble Park Lane.People must leave the area immediately to protect public safety as fire conditions continue to evolve.According to OKIB, emergency personnel are working directly with affected residents to support the evacuatio
  
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• VicPD warns public of non-emergency number being spoofed in alleged scams

  01-08-2026 21:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Victoria Police Department (VicPD) is alerting residents that their non-emergency number is being displayed on alleged scam calls across Canada.
  VicPD said they will never call people requesting banking information, passwords, pins or payment.
  The department added that the scammers can manipulate caller IDs to make it look like the call is coming from a legitimate phone number. Seeing VicPD’s non-emergency number on the screen does not necessarily mean the call is from VicPD.
  If you re
  
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• Evacuation orders issued for Riley Creek fire south of Lillooet

  01-08-2026 20:34 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Two properties in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) are now on evacuation order due to the Riley Creek wildfire, while 14 properties along Lytton-Lillooet Highway 12 and Kirbys Flat Road are now on evacuation alert.
  The Riley Creek wildfire, which is burning out of control nine kilometres south of Lillooet, was discovered on June 24, and is currently estimated at 1,150 hectares. BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) says that the fire was caused by lightning.
  The two properties on evacuation ord
  
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• ‘We need help’: Letter, petition, MLA call on Eby to declare state of emergency due to Cariboo fires

  01-08-2026 20:33 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A letter and petition, along with the BC Conservatives, are calling on Premier David Eby to declare a state of emergency in the face of massive wildfires burning in the Southern Interior.The letter template has been shared in multiple Cariboo Facebook groups, with individuals chiming in both for and against the proposal, and some saying they have sent the letter to the government.“I am writing as a gravely concerned resident of the Cariboo and as one of many people who are increasingly fri
  
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• Guichon Creek fire near Logan Lake holding at 145 hectares

  01-08-2026 20:03 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Guichon Creek wildfire (K21320) near Logan Lake is holding at an estimated 145 hectares as of Saturday morning (Aug. 1).
  The fire, which was discovered on July 29, is burning west of Logan Lake and is suspected to have been human-caused.
  The District of Logan Lake has issued an evacuation alert covering 49 properties in the Acreages, while the Thompson-Nicola Regional District has issued an evacuation alert for seven properties along Tunkwa Lake Road.
  On July 31, an update from Logan Lake Fi
  
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• LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Nanaimo is a lovely community

  01-08-2026 20:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  To the editor,
  What a lovely community Nanaimo is!
  My wife and adult children planned our first family vacation in several years. All of it on Vancouver Island, with Nanaimo being our first stop. Honestly I’d never heard of it. Now I can’t wait to return. It’s stunningly beautiful, with friendly people (other than the grouchy girls with a grouchier dog on Saysutshun) and an authentic outdoorsy vibe.
  We had delicious meals. We experienced your fantastic farmers market. We played
  
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• UPDATE: Wildfire near Westside Road grows to 200 hectares, evacuation alerts expanded

  01-08-2026 19:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE: 10:32 a.m.
  The Bradley Creek wildfire burning north of Westside Road near Vernon has now grown to 200 hectares.The blaze was discovered on Friday, July 31, and has quickly jumped to its current size in less than 24 hours.“Fire growth and size for this incident is predominately attributed to the grassy fuel type which burns fast and makes for a quicker rate of spread,” said BCWS.
  The fire is burning out of control and is suspected to be human caused.The Okanagan Indian Band (O
  
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• Extreme fire behaviour expected as Pear Lake wildfire grows to 90,475 hectares

  01-08-2026 19:22 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Extreme fire behaviour is expected in the Big Bar complex of fires on Saturday (Aug. 1), with a cold front passing over the Southern Interior and Cariboo regions bringing wind gusts of up to 40-45 km/hr or higher.
  As of Saturday morning, the Pear Lake wildfire near Clinton was estimated at 90,475 hectares. The Rim Lake wildfire to the east was estimated at 4,338 hectares, and the French Bar Creek wildfire to the west was estimated at 29,923 hectares.
  “The weather systems driving this cold
  
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• Extreme fire behaviour expected as Pear Lake wildfire grows to 103,921 hectares

  01-08-2026 19:22 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Extreme fire behaviour is expected in the Big Bar complex of fires on Saturday (Aug. 1), with a cold front passing over the Southern Interior and Cariboo regions bringing wind gusts of up to 40-45 km/hr or higher.
  As of Saturday morning, the Pear Lake wildfire near Clinton was estimated at 103,921 hectares. The Rim Lake wildfire to the east was estimated at 4,338 hectares, and the French Bar Creek wildfire to the west was estimated at 29,993 hectares.
  “The weather systems driving this cold
  
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• Felker Lake wildfire remains out of control in South Cariboo

  01-08-2026 19:03 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  The Felker wildfire south of Williams Lake sits at 4,217 hectares as of Saturday, Aug. 1.​BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) continues to respond to the blaze with ground crews, local contract crews, heavy equipment operators, fire departments and aviation resources.
  ​It includes 144 firefighters, an incident management team, nine helicopters, 25 pieces of heavy equipment and 16 structure protection personnel.
  ​BCWS said objectives are responder and public safety, and the protection of
  
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• UPDATE: Wildfire near Westside Road grows to 100 hectares, evacuation alerts in place

  01-08-2026 17:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE: AUG 1, 8:04 a.m.
  The Wildfire burning off Westside Road near Vernon has grown overnight and is now approximately 100 hectares, according to BC Wildfire Service (BCWS).Discovered Friday night on July 31, the fire is burning near the Okanagan Indian Band.The Okanagan Indian Band issued an evacuation alert earlier in the day for a number of properties along Bonneau Road, Pebble Park Lane, Louis Road, properties along any roads north of Westside Road between Bonneau and Komasket Road.The ale
  
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• UPDATE: Wildfire near Westside Road grows to 100 hectares, evacuation alerts expanded

  01-08-2026 17:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE 9:09 a.m.
  The Okanagan Indian Band, in recommendation of BC Wildfire Service, has expanded its evacuation alert.
  The extension of affected properties includes the following areas: West of Six Mile Road, North of Westside Road to Mary Emeralds Bay Road. It also includes and is not limited to Royal Road, Marchand Road, Pebble Park Lane, Louis Road and all other properties that access off Westside Road within the mapped area.
  This includes the following properties:
  Properties along Bonneau R
  
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• Poet Zoe Dickinson explores Pacific coast through verse

  01-08-2026 16:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  For almost 20 years, the Denman Island Readers and Writers Festival has gathered Canadian authors and bibliophiles, and this year they invited Vancouver Island’s Zoe Dickinson to share her poetry that’s rooted in the local land-and-seascapes.
  Dickinson writes bioregional poetry, a genre grounded in philosophy and ecology. Her work, inspired by the familiar Pacific coast geography, asks readers to remain curious about the place they call home, inviting them to see it anew.
  “I&rs
  
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• UPDATE: Evacuation alerts issued after 10-hectare wildfire sparks off Westside Road near Vernon

  01-08-2026 15:32 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE: SATURDAY, AUG. 1, 6:42 A.M.:
  The Okanagan Indian Band’s Emergency Operations Centre, based on BC Wildfire Service recommendation has issued an Evacuation Alert for the following properties:
  * Properties along Bonneau Road
  * Properties along Pebble Park Lane
  * Properties along Louis Road
  * Properties along any roads north of Westside Road between Bonneau Road and Komasket Road
  * 11454 Westside Road
  * 11450 Westside Road
  * 11452 Westside Road
  * 11458 Westside Road
  * 11486 Westside Ro
  
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• UPDATE: 10-hectare wildfire sparks off Westside Road near Vernon

  01-08-2026 15:32 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  UPDATE: SATURDAY, AUG. 1, 6:07 A.M.:
  The Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB) and BC Wildfire Services (BCWS)crews are battling a wildfire off Westside Road.
  The Bradley Creek Fire (K41351) broke out Friday evening, July 31, and is listed Saturday, Aug. 1, as 10 hectares in size and classified as under control on the BCWS website.
  Out of control is defined as a a wildfire spreading or anticipated to spread beyond the current perimeter or control line.
  OKIB has been providing updates to its members on soc
  
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• Over a thousand invasive Canada geese eggs addled last year in RDN

  01-08-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Over a thousand eggs containing invasive Canada geese have been addled throughout the Regional District of Nanaimo last year.
  The numbers come from a September 2025 report created by Guardians of our Salish Estuaries, a science-based, non-profit conservation organization dedicated to healthy, productive estuaries.
  The group told the regional district during a meeting on July 21, that from the Greater Victoria area north to Fanny Bay, a total of 1,221 eggs had been addled from 222 nests found dur
  
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• COLUMN: Watch out for deer on the roadways

  01-08-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  I struck a deer many years ago while driving along Hammond Bay Road.
  The Columbian black-tailed deer, the type that primarily populates Nanaimo, jumped out of the bushes by the side of road and landed right in front of my car.
  I instinctively swerved away from it, but still caught the deer right on its rump.
  I’m writing this after reading a report from fellow Black Press writer Nishadini Fonseka, who works for Victoria News, in which she reminds Vancouver Island residents that we’re
  
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• COLUMN: Keeping energy affordable takes focus—and commitment

  01-08-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  For most British Columbians, energy affordability isn’t that hard to define―it’s being able to pay your energy bill without having to compromise on other necessities. But delivering that outcome reliably, safely and over the long term is anything but simple.
  At a time when many families and businesses are feeling stretched, we know even modest bill increases can have real consequences at the kitchen table and on the bottom line.
  At FortisBC, affordability is not a standalone in
  
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• City of Duncan says Crime Severity Index ranking doesn’t tell whole story

  01-08-2026 14:30 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  Statistics Canada has ranked Duncan as having the highest Crime Severity Index in British Columbia in their 2025 Crime Severity Index (CSI) report, but the City of Duncan said the numbers don’t tell the whole story.
  While traditional crime rates count the number of reported incidents, the CSI measures both the volume and seriousness of police-reported crime by assigning different weights to offences based on sentencing data. This weighted total is then divided by resident population.
  While
  
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• Clinton man helps feed firefighters, witnesses fire 

  01-08-2026 14:00 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  When the Pear Lake fire reached Clinton on Friday, July 24, Tim Green was one of the handful of residents who stayed behind.A recent Langley transplant, Green moved to Clinton in June after falling in love with the village. A heavy equipment operator and former cook by trade, he said he was looking for a quiet life for him and his wife and Clinton fit the bill.“This is the kind of lifestyle (me and my wife) want. Nice, peaceful, quiet,” Green said. “The people in Clinton have b
  
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• 10-hectare wildfire sparks off Westside Road near Vernon

  01-08-2026 10:18 via nanaimobulletin.com
  
  A 10-hectare wildfire is burning north of Westside Road in the Bradley Creek area.
  The blaze was first reported on July 31, however, the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) updated information regarding the incident at 2 a.m. Aug. 1.
  The out-of-control wildfire is expected to spread beyond the current perimeter and is believed to be human-caused.
  On Friday, BCWS warned that weather conditions over the long weekend could increase the hazard of wildfires and lead to challenging conditions for those fightin
  
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