The wildfire situation is continually evolving, and the information below is current as of 7 p.m. (Pacific time) on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021. Fires:Wildfires currently burning in B.C.: 223Since April 1, 2021:1,563 wildfires865,299 hectares of area burnedActive fires by fire centre:Cariboo: 24Coastal: 19Kamloops: 70Northwest: 5Prince George: 48Southeast: 57Resources:Firefighters and other personnel currently fighting the fires: 3,015Out-of-province firefighters: 582Helicopters and planes supporting ground crews: 110Evacuations:Evacuation orders: 18 (-3) Evacuation alerts: 68 (-9) Properties:Numbe

Over a three-day period, B.C. is reporting 1,853 new cases of COVID-19, including four epi-linked cases, for a total of 165,413 cases in the province:Aug. 27-28: 769 new casesAug. 28-29: 581 new casesAug. 29-30: 503 new casesThere are 5,918 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 157,419 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 176 individuals are in hospital and 91 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the past 72 hours, seven new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 1,814.The new deaths include:Fraser

RCMP is seeking public assistance in locating Monica Cruz Perez, who was reported missing on August 24, 2021. Monica Cruz Perez was last seen in June, possibly in the area of Trout Lake, in Vancouver. Since Monica Cruz Perez’s disappearance, police have followed up on several leads, however Monica remains missing. Description of Monica Cruz Perez:Hispanic female39 years5 ft 4 in (163 cm)130 lbs (59 kg)slim buildlight brown hairbrown eyeswith a brown chihuahuaThere is nothing to indicate foul play at this time, but police are concerned for Monica’s health and well-being.

Federal BC RCMP officers have arrested three individuals in a drug trafficking investigation that has resulted in a massive seizure of methamphetamines over the weekend. On Sunday, August 29, 2021, the BC RCMP Federal Serious & Organized Crime (FSOC) Major Projects team, with the assistance of the Lower Mainland Integrated Emergency Response Team executed an operation as part of an investigation into drug trafficking. Three men have been arrested and face potential drug possession and trafficking charges. In total, approximately 600 kilograms of suspected methamphetamines have been seized

RCMP on Vancouver Island say one man is dead and a suspect is in custody after a shooting at a home in Port Alberni yesterday. Sergeant Peter Dionne says the people involved are known to each other. There is no connection to gangs or organized crime and there is no threat to the community. The Mounties say the investigation is in its early stages and Crown counsel would be briefed today before any potential charges are recommended.

Island Health says 17 more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in an ongoing outbreak at the Sunset Lodge long-term care home in Victoria. The health authority says testing over the weekend found 13 residents and four additional staff members were positive for the virus, up from 5 previously detected positive tests among staff. Island Health says most residents are not experiencing symptoms at this point, while staff and residents are being screened for the illness twice a day. It says admissions, transfers and social visits have been paused.

The union representing RCMP officers says it's concerned by Premier John Horgan's suggestion that businesses should call police for help enforcing the province's vaccine card rules. The National Police Federation says its members will always respond professionally to businesses and individuals in need of support. However, the union says police are being called to do more without additional resources or funding and they're already stretched thin. This summer alone, it says more than 650 Mounties have been deployed to wildfire response and even more have been sent to enforce an injunction grant

The wildfire situation is continually evolving, and the information below is current as of 7 p.m. (Pacific time) on Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021.Fires:Wildfires burning in B.C.: 232Since April 1, 2021:1,558 wildfires864,665 hectares of area burnedActive fires by fire centre:Cariboo: 25Coastal: 19Kamloops: 79Northwest: 5Prince George: 49Southeast: 55Resources:Firefighters and other personnel fighting the fires: 2,979Out-of-province firefighters: 443Helicopters and planes supporting ground crews: 110Evacuations:Evacuation orders: 28 (-1) Evacuation alerts: 77 (-2) Properties:Number of properties on ord

B.C. is reporting 867 new cases of COVID-19, including four epi-linked cases, for a total of 163,560 cases in the province. There are 5,657 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 155,928 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 159 individuals are in hospital and 84 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.In the past 24 hours, three new deaths (Interior Health) have been reported, for an overall total of 1,807. From Aug. 12-25, people not fully vaccinated accounted for 82.0% of cases and 85.9% of hospitalizations.Past we