The list of so-called wildfires of note in BC has grown to 24 and includes five of the six fire centres in the province. Only the coastal fire centre currently has no such fires, which are especially visible or pose a threat to public safety. Environment Canada has issued a high heat warning for parts of the province, including the West Kootenays, the south Okanagan and Fraser Canyon regions, where daytime temperatures are forecast to hit up to 38 degrees Celsius today. However, it says a heat wave in much of B-C is less aggressive than the recent one that hit historically high temperatures.

The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Victoria has apologized after more than 160 unmarked and undocumented graves were reportedly found at a residential school on an island near Chemainus. Bishop Gary Gordon says the diocese grieves for the victims of the residential school on Kuper Island and apologizes for its role in its operation. He says in a statement he's committed to the process of healing, reconciliation and education regarding the tragic history, and the response to such disclosures must lie in the hands of the Indigenous people who are most affected. A newsletter circulating

The body of the fifth victim of Monday’s crane collapse was recovered late last night. The Kelowna area man is believed to have been working in an adjacent building when the crane went down, burying him in under the rubble.Crews have been working to stabilize the crane and ensure that the site is safe for search crews.Just after midnight on July 14, the Vancouver Fire Department Heavy Urban Search and Rescue Team was able to enter the zone and recover his remains.Due to the privacy of the victim, no further information will be released regarding his identity."Everyone involved in this tragic

A two-year-old girl is recovering from bite wounds after she was attacked by a coyote while walking through Stanley Park, in Vancouver. The Conservation Officer Service says it happened around 9:30 p.m. Monday as the toddler walked with a group of children and adults near the aquarium. It says the coyote suddenly jumped on the girl but ran off when her father intervened. The child was treated in hospital for her injuries. It's the latest in a recent series of attacks and conservation officers warn there is a high risk of encountering an aggressive coyote in the park. Two coyotes have already

B.C. is reporting 33 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 148,187 cases in the province.There are currently 639 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 145,775 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 66 individuals are currently in hospital and 14 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. In the past 24 hours, no new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 1,760. Since December 2020, the province has administered 5,805,541 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines. 80.2% (3,470,198)

A Nanaimo fisherman has a wild tale to tell and a video to back up his story about the one that got away. Roy Ban was fishing for ling cod near Entrance Island in Nanaimo when he felt a tug on his line from what he thought was a big fish, which took him about 15 to 20 minutes to bring up. Ban says he had to ask his fiancee if she saw what he'd just seen, something that looked like a shark and was longer than a metre and a half. He cut the line and the shark swam away, but Ban says a relative who saw the video later confirmed he'd indeed had an encounter with a sixgill shark.

The Mounties say four people were killed and a fifth person is missing after a crane collapsed in Kelowna, B.C. Insp. Adam MacIntosh says four people on the ground, all construction workers, were killed when the crane toppled off the 25-storey building on Monday. He says the crane operator hasn't been found but police believe his body is buried in the rubble.The upper portion of the crane smashed into a neighbouring building, leaving most of its support tower attached. The head of the development company building the residential tower said Monday he didn't know what caused the crane to fall. J

Premier John Horgan has responded to what he says is the ``tragedy of the revelations'' related to the discovery of more unmarked, undocumented graves at a residential school, this one on Penelakut Island, off the southeast coast of Vancouver Island. Horgan says his government is awaiting the direction of the Penelakut Tribe and other BC First Nations before acting on the recent discoveries. He says it would be premature to do anything else while Indigenous people are grieving and coping with generational trauma. Speaking at a news conference this morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says h

Private liquor retailers are now allowed to sell their products to holders of special event permits to serve liquor at events such as community festivals, family gatherings and private functions.The change follows a recommendation from the Business Technical Advisory Panel. Previously, only government liquor stores could sell liquor products to permit holders. The private retailers who may now do so include:* B.C. wineries, breweries and distilleries with on-site stores;* licensee retail stores (private liquor stores);* wine stores (excluding sacramental wine stores) and special wine stores; a